Lily's Final Gift: Part Two
by FlashOfFlame
Summary: Sequel to Lily's Final Gift. The story of Lily and James picks up from where the previous chapter left off. Do read Lily's Final Gift before you read this one. Please Read and Review! Thanks, FlashOfFlame
1. Chapter 1

Welcome back, dear readers! Thank you all for reading Lily's Final Gift, and making it thus far to the sequel. This story will have two POV characters: Lily and James. How James becomes a POV character will be explained at the very end of this story (yet another reason for you to stick till the end!). Personally, I think it will be good for me as a writer to have two different POV characters. Besides, it will allow me to explore some more aspects of the story that were hitherto unexplored. Thank you for reading!

Hello everyone, here is chapter one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter One**

" **The Potters are my family – more than you could ever be."**

"Master James – dinner is ready," squeaked the tiny little elf as it Apparated right into James's room. James looked up from the book he was reading, and said, "All right, Tippy – tell Mum and Dad I'll be downstairs in ten minutes." The little elf nodded and Disapparated promptly.

James turned his attention back to the comic book he was reading – _The Seven Crystal Balls_ , part of the Muggle comic book series titled _The Adventures of Tintin_. James was close to the end of the book – he'd been fascinated by the plot, and felt a sense of trepidation for the Tintin and Captain Haddock; they seemed hell-bent on rescuing Professor Calculus, undertaking what would surely be a perilous journey in South America…

He set the book aside as soon as he finished it. He couldn't wait to read the sequel ( _Prisoners of the Sun_ ); he was sure that it would be just as enthralling. He rose and began to walk towards the door of his bedroom – before coming to a halt near his table, on top of which a solitary piece of parchment lay. It had come to him as a scroll – but he'd read it so many times that it was now flat as a pancake. Unable to resist, he strode to the table and began to read it yet again with a smile on his face.

 _Hi James,_

 _I hope you're well, and that your Mum and Dad have fully recovered from that harrowing experience a few weeks ago._

 _You'll be happy to know that I'm maintaining my fitness regime – I go for a three-mile jog around the neighbourhood every morning, because_ someone _once told me that it was much harder to maintain a fitness routine after it had been established (yeah, yeah, wipe that smug smirk off your face!). I am also learning how to play tennis (it's a popular Muggle sport with a racquet and a ball – ugh, too complicated to explain in a letter!). There's a court about half a mile from my house, and there are a couple of Muggle boys (they're regulars) who seemed quite willing to teach me – I thought I was getting quite good at it, until one of them beat me 6-0, 6-0 (that's like losing a Quidditch match by three hundred points to zero). I'm still playing, though – I'm not going to give up that easily._

 _Anyway, James, there were some things I wanted to say, but never got a chance to do so – that's why the letter. I wanted to thank you – this may sound redundant, but the way you helped me that day, when I was about to give up – it meant a lot, really. You kept me going, and you kept pumping air into my flame barrier – well, to give you a Quidditch analogy, I may have been the one who scored the goal, but I couldn't have done it without your final pass (it took me ten minutes to come up with this one, so just bear with me, OK?). Oh, and one more important thing – you saved my life, too!_

 _I will never forget that, James – for this, you have my gratitude. As a token of my appreciation, please find enclosed a set of Muggle comic books. I know, I know, books aren't really the most ideal present, but I recall that you (and the others) once sent me a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and the stories were fascinating – they certainly helped me understand the Wizarding World a little better! So – go ahead and read these comics, and I'm sure you'll see the Muggle World in a completely new light. I know that you're taking Muggle Studies – but trust me, these books are nothing like the textbooks, really. They're amongst my favourites, and the last one in the series just came out earlier this year – so, you now have the complete set! Trust me – when it comes to fiction, the Muggle world has plenty to offer._

 _Please convey my regards to your parents, and let me know if you like these comics!_

 _Cheers,_

 _Lily Evans_

And with that letter had come a small package: the complete collection of _The Adventures of Tintin_. James had felt immensely happy when he'd received the letter; she didn't need to thank him, honestly; but she still had, and he'd felt gratified. Fascinated and a little sceptical, he'd begun to read the first comic book in the series, which followed the adventures of an intrepid young Belgian reporter and his faithful dog. Gradually, James had started to warm up to the characters, and he'd really begun to enjoy the stories after the introduction of Captain Haddock – undoubtedly because of the vocabulary of esoteric swearwords that accompanied the foul-mouthed and uncouth sailor.

James sighed, replacing the letter on the table. He'd written back to her immediately, thanking her for her very thoughtful gift, and assuring her that his parents were indeed, fine. They'd all gone to the south of France for a week-long holiday after their distressing experience, and had returned rejuvenated. The parcel from Lily had arrived the day they'd gotten back, and James was now spending his afternoons reading the comics, lost in the world of Tintin's escapades…

He shook himself out of his reverie and sighed. What wouldn't he give to have Lily going out with him… But he'd made his decision. It had come to him as he'd been sitting next to her in the Hospital Wing, worried sick, waiting for her to regain consciousness… He'd realised that she clearly didn't feel the same way about him, and he'd recalled the advice Sirius had given him. _Try to be her friend_ , his best friend had told him… _Try to be someone she'd genuinely like, and perhaps one day she might see for who you really are…_

It had been difficult. His heart skipped a beat every time he saw her, and he couldn't help but grin rather foolishly at the sight of her dark red hair, her emerald-green eyes, her sleek and slender figure… But her beauty was not the only thing that attracted him. Her intelligence, her kindness, her selflessness and her inclination to look beyond prejudices – all these were exemplary qualities, and he liked and respected her for it. He'd never let it get him down every time she'd rejected him, however cruelly it may have been…

But he knew better now. If she didn't feel the same way as he felt about her, there really was no point trying to force things… And so, he'd taken Sirius's advice. He'd taken a step back, and he'd resolved to be her friend. He wanted to get to know her – he had a measure of her, that was clear, but what he really wanted was to – to _understand_ her. He wanted to understand her thoughts and feeling, her dreams and passions, her fears and insecurities…

So far, to his surprise, the 'friend' thing was going remarkably well. They'd found themselves in a sticky situation only two days after the incident with Snivellus – James still felt a rush of hatred as he remembered that greasy git calling Lily, his beloved Lily, a 'Mudblood'… How could he have done that to his best friend? James's own part in the whole disaster hadn't been insubstantial; nevertheless, she'd still accompanied him to rescue his parents, and that was something he would always hold close to his heart. _People show who they are when times are tough_ , he thought. When it had mattered, she'd come through… Despite their animosity, she hadn't turned her back on him, and her role in the mission had been invaluable. _Well, if it hadn't been for her, we would all be dead_ , thought James wryly.

But once he'd told her that he'd like to be her friend, and that he was done chasing her, her whole attitude towards him had changed. She'd become much more affable, making jokes and occasionally teasing him… And what was more, he was liking it. Of course, her gesture with the Tintin books was unexpected, but it was still extremely sweet. He found himself thinking that perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to be friends with her after all. There was just one small hitch…

He was still in love with her.

He knew that his feelings towards her were genuine. He also knew that he couldn't see himself going out with anyone else, at least for the time being. He'd been outwardly nonchalant but inwardly crushed every time she'd said no to going out with him, and he'd constantly come up with newer, more creative ways to ask her out – none of which had been successful.

But he was determined to try. He was going to try being friends with her – try to be someone she would genuinely like. It would be an added bonus if she fell in love with him, just as he was in love with her –

He shook himself again. _It's not going to be easy_ , he thought to himself. _But she's worth it… She's worth the effort._

"Mum – Dad," he said brightly as he entered the dining room, where his parents were already seated at the table. "Evening, son," said his father, smiling at him. James thought the world of his father; as the Head of the Auror Office, his Dad had a lot of responsibility at his job – and consequently, with the war, too. He loaded rice and brown gravy in his plate, picking the pieces of salmon in particular; his mother 'tsked' as he sat down, and he grinned at her.

"Leave some of that salmon for us, son," she said, and James's grin widened. "I'm a growing boy, Mum – I need all the protein I can get," he responded, and his mother rolled her eyes but smiled at him fondly before starting to eat her own dinner.

"So – Dad," said James, "You're going back to work tomorrow – d'you feel ready?"

"I'm always ready, son," said his Dad, winking at him, and James laughed. Then his father's face became serious. "It was nice of Minchum to give me two weeks off," he said. "I'm so glad I could spend some quality time with you both."

"I'm telling you, Fleamont – those people are working you too hard," said Mrs Potter severely, rubbing Mr Potter's back gently as she spoke. "Nah – I can handle it," said Mr Potter reassuringly. "Besides – it's all hands on deck, given the current situation…"

James sniggered; that last sentence had triggered a memory. His parents gave him a questioning glance, and he shrugged, saying, "Nothing – I just remember reading the phrase 'all hands on deck' earlier this afternoon… It was just before Captain Haddock said 'Pithecanthropus'…" He couldn't resist a small chuckle.

"My, you seem to have taken a fancy to those comic books, eh?" his father asked, his eyes twinkling. "You can't seem to stop reading them – that's what you've been doing every afternoon, haven't you?"

"Er – yes," said James, slightly flustered, "I'm bored – I talk to Sirius every day, but aside from that, none of my friends are here. Peter and Remus are visiting relatives with their families… Plus, Marlene's touring West Germany! I fire-called Liz two days ago – but aside from that and homework, I have nothing to do all day! You're at the Ministry – and Mum's supposed to be consulting part-time for St Mungo's – but they're calling her every single day! What am I supposed to do, play Exploding Snap with Tippy?"

"You'd think he's been home for a month – but it's been barely four days since the Riviera," said Mr Potter, smiling slightly at Mrs Potter, who returned his grin and said, "Then, Jamie – perhaps it's just as well that your new friend sent you those Muggle comic books! Thoughtful of her, wasn't it?"

James blushed; he couldn't help it. "I guess," he said carefully. He knew that his parents had an inkling of his feelings towards Lily… But he'd resolved to himself that if he were quizzed about that topic, he'd deny it tooth and nail.

Mrs Potter's smile widened. "The rate at which you're reading those books – you'd think there's an exam about it!"

Mr Potter laughed, and James flushed. "C'mon, Mum – I already told you, I'm not going to do any sort of homework until I get the OWL results!" he whined. "In the meantime – those comic books are really interesting, it's a good past-time for me to read those… For instance – did you know that these guns, which Muggles use to kill each other, aren't really metal wands?"

"Your Muggle Studies textbook would've told you the same thing," said Mr Potter with a little smirk. James snorted. "Quite the opposite, Dad," he said triumphantly, "The textbook goes on about how it's a metal wand with little black metal cores that just blast out of it when Muggles want them to… In reality, there's something called a _trigger_ – and it needs to be pulled for these black cores to –"

"Fascinating," Mr Potter cut across him dryly, "Your point?"

"My _point_ , Dad," said James feelingly, "Is that our understanding of the Muggle world is incomplete – we just learn what we think we see, whereas it's completely different!"

"You could lead a revolution to improve this understanding, son," said Mr Potter with a straight face, and Mrs Potter gave him a light tap on his arm. "Stop teasing him, Fleamont – if he's reading those books for amusement, let him!" she said. Mr Potter smirked again.

"Personally – I'd like to see him study or do his homework," he said. "I know, I know – not until we get your OWL results," he added hastily, as James opened his mouth to protest. "Incidentally – have you decided what subjects you want to pursue, son?"

"Yep," said James promptly. "Transfiguration, obviously – Charms, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology – and Muggle Studies, too…"

His Dad raised his eyebrows. "Muggle Studies? Unusual choice, son – the other subjects are fine, of course…"

"D'you want to impress a certain someone with your knowledge of Muggles, Jamie?" his Mum asked with a suggestive wink. James reddened at once, and Mr Potter laughed. "You just told us that our knowledge about Muggles and their ways is incomplete!" he exclaimed. "If that's the case – why d'you want a NEWT in that subject?"

"Er – I think the textbooks will be better from sixth year onwards," said James lamely, but he knew that his parents weren't fooled in the slightest. His Mum really knew him all too well…

"In any case – it isn't a coincidence that your other subjects are those required to become an Auror," said Mr Potter shrewdly. "What happened to becoming a world-famous Quidditch player?"

"It's the need of the hour, Dad," said James softly. "Voldemort is out there, spreading death and terror and destruction – d'you think I'm just going to sit around, doing nothing? Don't get me wrong, I love Quidditch," he said quickly, "But as long as Voldemort is a threat, I think I'd be wasting my talent with spellwork if I become a professional Quidditch player. As soon as I'm of age – I'd like to help."

Mr Potter smiled. "Spoken like a true Gryffindor, son," he said proudly. "I never had any doubts about you and your abilities – and that incident last month reinforced that belief."

"I really wish you were far away from this war, James" said Mrs Potter with a strained smile, "I wish you didn't have to be involved with all this – it's bad enough worrying about your father, now I'm going to have to worry about you, too!"

"I'll be fine, Mum," said James reassuringly, puffing out his chest a little. He was feeling a little taller – he'd rescued his parents from that goon Jugson, and his Dad was clearly proud of him. He idolized his father – he'd long dreamed of becoming an Auror just like him, though admittedly a few years ago it had been a close contest between an Auror and the World's Best Chaser.

They finished their dinner, and Mrs Potter waved her wand; all traces of their meal disappeared, and the plates and vessels returned to their places in the kitchen. "I think I'm going to check out the ground near the Town Square tomorrow," said James, "There're Muggle blokes who play football there – maybe I can play with them a bit."

"Why this sudden inclination towards football, James?" his Mum asked, raising her eyebrows. "As far as I know, no one is allowed to fly…"

"I know," replied James, nodding, "I've seen people at it, they seemed to be having a lot of fun playing… Maybe it's an exciting game, I dunno – but I intend to find out."

"Well – have fun with that," said Mr Potter. "G'Night, son – you'd better go to bed, it's getting late. Euphemia – I'll see you in the study in a few minutes." He rose, gave James a little wave, and exited the dining room.

"Another top-secret Ministry-related meeting, Mum?" James asked lightly. Mrs Potter gave him a swift smile. "Something like that," she said vaguely, standing up; James imitated her. "Goodnight, sweetheart," she said hugging him close and kissing his cheek. "'Night, Mum," said James gently, and patted his mother's shoulder as they left the dining room together. With a little wave to his Mum, James ascended the stairs, heading to his room, deep in thought.

He knew that his parents were probably going off to discuss important stuff related to the Order of the Phoenix. James wasn't stupid; he knew about the existence of the Order, and he knew that his parents were members of it as well. It was a top-secret society founded by Dumbledore himself – with the sole purpose to defeat Lord Voldemort…

James had found out about it quite by accident. A few years ago, when his parents had hosted Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore for dinner, he'd been told to go to bed after the meal; however, young James had sneaked to his Dad's study, where he was sure they were all deep in discussion over something. He'd listened from outside the door, catching words like 'Order' and 'scouting' and 'Voldemort'…

Over the years, James had attempted to find out as much as he could, trying to eavesdrop during such meetings. Opportunities were scarce, though – on an average, he'd been able to listen in on only one meeting per year, typically during the summer holidays. However, last year, he'd resolved to attend one such meeting – wearing his Invisibility Cloak. He'd gotten away with it successfully; he hadn't understood much of what was going on, but he'd heard enough to get a fair idea of the situation.

For instance, he knew that the Order typically consisted of older witches and wizards who were higher-ups in the Ministry, and younger ones who were, in all fairness, foot soldiers. He knew that the Order members were delegated several tasks – spying, scouting, recruiting, guarding and fighting, to name a few. The higher-ups usually coordinated the different tasks, all working towards the same primary objective…

James had wanted to join the Order as soon as he'd found out about all this. He suspected that his parents knew that he was aware of the Order's existence – but they hadn't said a word to him about it, and he was sure that they were waiting to tell him about it once he was of age. Well, that would happen in March next year…

His choosing of subjects to pursue a career as an Auror was the perfect excuse to join the Order. Whatever he told his parents, James had no intention of joining the Ministry as an Auror… Nay, he'd rather be a full-time soldier for the Order, unbounded by the chains of administration, politics and red tape. The bureaucratic nature of the Ministry prevented them from doing several things – but recently, with the Unforgiveable Curses legalized against Voldemort's supporters, the public opinion seemed to be swaying the Ministry's way. Mr Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had deemed it fit to fight violence with violence, and if one took the _Daily Prophet_ seriously, he was something of a messiah, a brilliant wartime commander unafraid to make bold decisions…

But James wasn't sure if fighting fire with fire would help them win the war. True, if Voldemort's supporters were being chucked into Azkaban without trial (as had happened two days ago), it might _just_ discourage people from joining his cause – but fear is never the best tool for enforcement of the law, and anyone indoctrinated with Voldemort's pureblood supremacy agenda would be much more willing to join his cause, especially if he promised them protection in exchange for service… Besides, if they too fought to kill, they'd be sinking to the level of the Death Eaters, and that was something he could never stomach.

James sighed as he entered his bedroom. Things like Quidditch seemed mundane every time his thought process went in this direction… He was only sixteen years old, about to go to Hogwarts for his sixth year. He shouldn't have to worry about war, violence and death… But war caused everyone to age quickly. He felt older than ever, even as his subconscious kept adding to the list of spells he wanted to learn, sure that they'd be useful when he eventually joined the Order…

He settled himself comfortably on his bed, and stared at his ceiling pensively. He couldn't participate in the fight until he was of age, anyway – and as much as he hated it, he knew that it was true. At that moment, he simply _wasn't_ good enough to fight. Oh, he was sure he could become an excellent dueller – but it was a process that would take time and a lot of practice. He'd been quite confident (and a tad overconfident) of his abilities, but his experience last month had rudely slapped him awake. He'd been barely holding on against Jugson, and if Lily Evans hadn't arrived when she had, Jugson would've probably overpowered him. If he couldn't beat a measly Death Eater, how in the world could he even think about facing Voldemort?

Then there was the small matter of Lily and her flame barrier. It was undoubtedly a complex piece of magic, to manipulate an element into a form of your choice… And Lily had been able to do it successfully. What was more, she'd taken the best element for _offence_ – Fire – and used it for _defence_. James was more than impressed when he'd seen it – it had been what had kept the Death Eaters at bay as they'd futilely tried to break it down. Lily hadn't yielded one bit – James was sure she'd have held on for longer if she hadn't been Cursed. Oh, she may have sent him a letter to express her gratitude for saving her life – but she'd saved his life as much as he'd saved hers. Quite frankly, if it hadn't been for her, he'd never have been able to help his parents…

He had to learn that bit of magic from her. He just _had_ to… In his fourth year, Professor Malfoy had told them that the Elemental Shield was an incredibly complex spell, so complex that she'd declined from teaching it to them… But here was Lily, using the Wave as a Shield anyway. He just _had_ to learn how to do that… There was so much that he had to learn.

He sighed again and shoved these depressing thoughts aside. At that moment, he was safe at home, his parents were all right, and so long as Dumbledore was on their side, he wasn't too worried. Wasn't Dumbledore the _one_ person Voldemort was afraid of? The Dark Lord hadn't attempted to attack Hogwarts or Hogsmeade – yet. His attempts to induce unrest or panic at the school had been feeble – Marcus Arnold, the Widerwille Potion – they were pathetic attempts; designed to create a distrustful climate, but not strong enough to truly dent their attempts to stop him. His spirits rose slightly; spotting _Prisoners of the Sun_ in the box housing the Tintin collection, he picked it up and started to read, eager to find out how Tintin and Captain Haddock save Professor Calculus…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was in the South American jungle somewhere in the Andes… Ahead of him, Tintin and Captain Haddock walked stealthily… James whipped out his wand. He was getting the undeniable sense that something was about to go wrong, and he wanted to be prepared for any untoward incidents… It was pitch-black, and he couldn't even see the night sky. " _Lumos!_ " he whispered, and the wand-tip came alight at once. Tintin looked around and mouthed 'Thanks!' at him; he nodded and kept walking behind them as they came up to a clearing…

Suddenly, he heard a whooshing noise, and a gargantuan bat attacked them. "Blistering barnacles – get away, you blundering bloodsucker!" Captain Haddock yelled, trying to beat the massive animal away. "Cannibal – nitwit – stool-pigeon – ectoplasm –"

James raised his wand, but the bat landed directly in front of him. Then – to his shock, it spoke in a very familiar voice. "Prongs!" it said urgently, beating him with its wings. "Wake up, Prongs!"

James's eyes shot open, and he nearly fell out of his bed. He quickly reached for his glasses on the dresser, and wore them… Once his eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight his room was bathed in, the pale face of Sirius Black came into view, complete with windswept hair and beads of sweat. He clutched a broomstick in one hand, and his wand in the other – behind him, on the floor, lay his trunk.

"Padfoot!" exclaimed James in disbelief. By the looks of it, his friend had flown in through James's open window on his broomstick. James knew that the ancient wards around Potter Mansion would admit Sirius, with Mr Potter having granted him permission to do so last year… "You sea-gherkin," James said, his eyes wide, " _What_ – in the name of _Morgana_ – are you _doing_ here – at _this_ time of the night?"

"Sea-gherkin?" repeated Sirius, nonplussed. "As in, sea cucumber?"

"No, I mean sea lion, you coelacanth! Blimey – what're you doing here?"

"I ran away," said Sirius simply, sitting down on James's bed, looking devastated. "I – I couldn't take it anymore – so, I came to the only place that made sense."

James simply stared at his best friend. He knew all about Sirius's problems with his family… Simply put, he disliked the whole lot. They were pureblood maniacs who thought – his eyes narrowed – that Voldemort had the right idea, wanting to purge Britain of Muggles and Muggle-borns. Really, how could anyone think that? And he knew how much Sirius hated going home for the holidays. He stayed over at Hogwarts as much as he could – he did so during the Christmas holidays in their first and second years, and spent the next three at Potter Mansion, declaring loudly that since Christmas was a time to be spent with one's family, he was doing the same; for they – James, and his parents – were his real family.

James sat down on the bed next to Sirius, who was holding his head in his hands. "All right," he said, thinking quickly, "Why don't you move this stuff into the bedroom next door, and come downstairs to the dining room? I'll wake my parents up until then – OK?" Sirius nodded slightly, and James squeezed his shoulder comfortingly before making his way to his parents' bedroom, shaking his head.

A few minutes later, they were all seated around the dining table. "Well – this is quite unusual, Sirius," Mr Potter said gravely. "What happened? How did you get here?"

"I'll make some hot chocolate, Sirius – dear," said Mrs Potter gently, before hurrying towards the kitchen. Sirius – James had to admire his nerve – looked straight at Mr Potter, his face passive and expressionless. "I ran away, Mr Potter," he said shortly. "It got too much – I couldn't take it anymore…"

Mrs Potter returned at that moment, and placed the steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of Sirius, who accepted it with a nod of thanks. He said, "Look – Mr Potter, I'm really sorry for showing up unannounced like this. If you don't mind – I'd like to stay here for a couple of days – before looking for a place to live."

Mrs Potter made a clicking noise with her tongue and said, "We can discuss that later, dear… First things first. What happened?"

Sirius glanced at James, who gave him an encouraging nod. James was as curious as his parents to know what had caused Sirius to fly right into James's room – through his open window, no less – with his Hogwarts trunk in tow.

"My parents happened," Sirius responded tersely. "I was in my room earlier this evening…"

XXXXX Sirius's POV XXXXX

"Here is dinner for Master Sirius – serves him right, bread and cheese," said a croaky voice, just as the clock on the wall indicated midnight. Sirius turned around to find Kreacher setting down a plate with a stale loaf of bread and some cheese that looked extremely unappetizing. _Well, at least they're not starving me right now_ , he thought sardonically… He felt a ripple of anger as he spied the house-elf whom he heartily despised. "Buzz off, Kreacher," he snapped, getting up and striding towards the plate of food. "No one asked for your opinion, you little toerag."

"Master Sirius is the one who associates with Mudbloods and filth," said the elf defiantly. "Oh, poor Kreacher's Mistress – does Master Sirius know what he puts Mistress through every time he comes home?"

"Yeah, yeah – I know, the miserable old hag doesn't like me," snarled Sirius. "I know that I'm a constant disappointment to her and her bleeding ideals."

"And yet Master Sirius continues to behave without shame!" Kreacher croaked feelingly. "Master Sirius is a terrible, terrible boy –"

"That _does_ it!" snapped Sirius, enraged beyond measure. He opened the door of his bedroom and kicked the house-elf out, ignoring Kreacher's shocked squeal as he rattled down two flights of stairs. _Stupid bugger_ , thought Sirius angrily. _Who the hell does he think he is, the bloody rotten scoundrel?_ He calmly began to eat the bread, staring at the Gryffindor banners in his room, waiting for the storm that was sure to come in the form of his mother…

And sure enough, ten minutes later, Mrs Black entered the room without invitation. "Why did you kick that elf down the stairs, you vile boy?" she screamed, "The poor thing – he broke his hand!"

"Fat lot of difference that makes – he hardly ever cleans," said Sirius indifferently. It was worth it to see the colour rise in his mother's face; he wondered why she was awake at this late hour. Was she waiting for a report from Kreacher about his reaction to the food?

"Bread and cheese for the entire month – and no visiting any of your friends!" she shouted. Sirius laughed derisively. "That's the worst you can do? You're slipping, mother…"

"I – you –" Mrs Black sputtered, incoherent with anger, "You accursed boy, you've been a disappointment ever since you were born! I feel ashamed – _ashamed_ – to even call you my son!"

"Then don't," Sirius snapped, his blood boiling.

"Why can't you be more like Regulus?" raged Mrs Black.

"Because I'm not a fool!" Sirius yelled, finally losing his temper. "He's stupid enough to believe what you tell him – about how being a pureblood makes him practically royal! Well, wake up, Mum – it _doesn't_! There's _no_ difference between purebloods and half-bloods and Muggle-borns – d'you hear me?"

"This again," said Mrs Black, shaking her head and laughing hollowly. "This is all because of that boy you associate with – him and his infernal parents. The Potters – they don't have the proper pride that comes with being a pureblood – they're blood traitors, the whole lot of them! And they've managed to corrupt you, too – don't you _see_ , son?"

"Don't," whispered Sirius in a deadly voice, "Don't you dare insult them!"

But Mrs Black snorted derisively. "I only tolerated your visits to Potter Mansion because Mr Potter's an important official in the Ministry, and we could've used his influence had we ever needed it!" she said with relish. "Otherwise, he's nothing but a blood traitor, and his son isn't fit to marry even a dastardly Weasley!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Sirius, losing all control. "SHUT YOUR FILTHY TRAP!"

His mother looked shocked. " _What did you say to me?_ " she asked, her voice dangerous.

"You heard me!" shouted Sirius. "The Potters are my family – more than you could ever be. In fact – you know what, they're my real family… I'm going! I've had enough!"

"Going?" his mother repeated incredulously. "Where?"

"To James's – that's where," replied Sirius, making his decision in a flash. "Don't bother to write!"

"Enough!" Mrs Black snapped. "I'm getting your father!" She turned her heel and stormed out of his room.

Sirius knew that he had just irreparably broken his relationship with his mother. _Not that I ever had one_ , he thought cynically. He marvelled at how ridiculously calm he was feeling… Perhaps it was destiny, him going to live with James and his family – that certainly would explain the calmness. His heart lifted at the thought, and he was galvanized into action; he tore about the room, filling his already half-full Hogwarts trunk with everything he owned and treasured. He never really unpacked during the holidays; he despised staying at home, and always looked forward to returning to Hogwarts once the holidays ended…

He clasped the lid of his trunk and swept his gaze around the room one last time. The motorcycle pictures – he grinned fondly as he remembered his fascination with those; he'd liked the lesson on cars and motorcycles back in fourth year. The Gryffindor banners – they just served to emphasize how – how _different_ he was – from the rest of his family. They were a symbol of hope; an indication that it is your actions, not your family, that defines who you are. There were posters of Cybill Shepherd, Patti Hansen and Diane Keaton – all wearing bikinis. They were beautiful women – Sirius had always been partial to blondes. _Well, McKinnon was an exception_ , he thought wryly.

His eyes fell upon the photo hanging next to the poster of Cybill Shepherd. It showed four boys – laughing at one of their innumerable jokes. He remembered the photo very well; it had been taken last summer, when they'd all been to James's… There was Remus, smiling with mingled delight and surprise at being included with them all… Sirius felt a stab of sympathy for his friend, followed by an air of achievement. They'd conquered _that_ objective of truly including him… Then there was Peter, who Sirius was sure only hung around with them because he thought they were cool. _Well, we_ are _cool_ , thought Sirius fairly. But then again, Peter had proven to be a useful friend, even going so far as to become an Animagus like him and James – Sirius trusted the fat boy implicitly, even if he could be a little slow at times. And James – James wasn't just his friend. He was his brother…

A sudden inspiration came to Sirius. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at the posters and pictures, whispering, " _Fides Aeternum!_ " He immediately checked his handiwork before drawing back, satisfied; the Permanent Sticking Charm was working perfectly. _Thank God the Ministry doesn't care about magic inside a Wizarding house_ , he thought. _They should know that their underage magic rule is rubbish…_ As he surveyed the photos and posters, he couldn't help but grin; this was sure to annoy his parents. It would serve as a fitting final act of defiance.

He pointed his wand at his packed trunk and whispered, " _Pondus Minuere!_ " He then lifted his trunk; it weighed nothing more than a banana. His grin widened as he opened the window and picked up his broomstick; mounting it, he hung his trunk on the broom handle, happily enjoying the effects of his Weight-Reducing Charm. He cast a Disillusionment Charm on both trunk and broomstick; just as he was about to Disillusion himself, his door slammed open.

"What is the meaning of this, boy?" his father thundered. Sirius grinned disdainfully. "What does it look like? I'm leaving – I've had enough of you!"

"Stop him!" his mother shouted, but Mr Black merely gave him a cold glare. "You take one step out of this house, boy – we will _disown_ you!" he said evenly, but Sirius recognized the vicious undercurrent in his voice. He shook his head; he'd reached a point where he'd stopped wishing that things were different – he'd stopped caring what his parents thought. Their feelings didn't mean anything to him anymore.

"Don't you see, father?" he said calmly, holding Mr Black's gaze. " _I_ – am disowning – _you_. So long – I won't be seeing you!"

And with that parting shot, he cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and kicked off from the floor, flying out into the night. He rose higher and higher as the street-lights shrunk hazy blurs, before slowing down to a comfortable cruising speed. It was a clear night, and the gibbous moon shone brightly – Sirius felt the cool night air blow through his hair, and he began to relax. He was always at home on a broomstick – he may not be as prodigious a flyer as James, but he was not bad – he played in the Quidditch team, after all.

As he flew, however, reality began to hit him. He had just turned his back on his parents, and made off with everything he owned – without even stopping to call James through his twin mirror, without so much as asking him if he could just drop by at Potter Mansion unannounced… He didn't even know how James's parents, wonderful people though they were, would react when they saw him at their doorstep in the middle of the night, carrying his broomstick and his trunk…

Despair threatened to overwhelm him. He racked his brains for a possible, more logical course of action. Could he go to Andromeda's? She lived in London itself – but she was raising a two-year-old, and he doubted if Ted would take it too kindly if he just showed up at their little flat like this. Of course, Ted was nice and jolly, but Sirius didn't really know him well enough to take any sort of liberties with him…

James's house was his only option. Sighing, he raised his wand and whispered, "Point me." He knew that Godric's Hollow was located in West Country, in the vicinity of Dartmoor forest. He mentally thanked Lily Evans (who had introduced him to this spell), and he was relieved when his wand pointed to his right; it meant that he was heading in the correct direction. He knew that it would be hard to tell where he was, but he'd worry about that in an hour – for that was his estimate of the time it took to fly from London to Godric's Hollow.

Finally, once a glance at his watch told him that more than an hour had passed since he took flight, he began to descend. The countryside was dark, but the moonlight helped him separate dense trees from barren land; he was sure that the forest below him was Dartmoor forest. He began to fly in a circle at the boundary of the forest with as low an altitude as he dared – until, to his relief, he spied what looked like houses. He shot towards the ground excitedly – but he soon realised that the houses were unfamiliar, causing him to ascend once again into the night sky.

By the time he'd crossed the fourth such village, Sirius was starting to question the sanity of his plan. It had seemed good at the time – but now, now it just seemed plain stupid _. I'm going to search for a fireplace in the next village_ , he thought firmly. _I can't go on searching like this…_ He descended without much hope as the next community of houses came into view, but this time something was different. His heart gave an excited leap. He recognized the Town Square… He was at Godric's Hollow. He had made it.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Sirius kept flying until he recognized his second favourite building in the world: Potter Mansion, the colossal two-storey building with the huge orchard at the back. He had reached his destination – he lifted the Disillusionment Charm off himself, his broom and his trunk, and debated whether to just go in via the front door. He decided against it; it was late, and he would probably end up getting attacked by Mr Potter, Mrs Potter, or James, all of whom were highly skilled with magic. Nah, he had to think of something else…

As he flew closer to the mansion, he felt a strange sensation as if he'd just passed through jelly, and understood: that had to be the effect of the wards. Well, he'd been permitted entrance last year, hadn't he? He racked his brains, trying to figure out how to let James know of his presence – before slapping his head. _What an idiot I am!_ he thought; _I can simply knock on James's window!_ Putting thought into action, he flew up to the second floor until he came across James's bedroom. The sight of his best friend sleeping peacefully cheered him up immensely. He was there at last… He noticed that the window was open; James must've opened it to let the breeze in… Without thinking twice, he simply flew right into James's bedroom and quickly alighted from his broomstick.

"Prongs!" he whispered urgently, trying to shake his best friend awake – just like he'd done several times in their dormitory, especially after their excursions on full-moon nights. "Wake up, Prongs…"

XXXXX End of Sirius's POV XXXXX

"And that's that," said Sirius, coming to the end of his narrative. "I've been disowned because my parents are bloody fools who think that Voldemort's the best thing to have happened to Britain since wizards defeated the goblins a century ago – I couldn't stay in that filthy house a second longer, so I came to the only place that made sense in my head."

An uneasy silence followed Sirius's story. James was livid; how could Sirius's parents treat him like that? It was abhorrent! He squeezed his friend's shoulder once again, trying to gauge what his parents were thinking… But their faces remained inscrutable. Finally, Mrs Potter spoke.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, Sirius," she said gently, clasping one of Sirius's hands in his. "Also… You have my gratitude, for saying that we're your family, for standing up for us." Mr Potter nodded gravely, and James clapped his best friend on the back.

"It's the truth," said Sirius firmly. With a glance towards Mr Potter, he added, "Look – I'm sorry, I know this is an intrusion. I'll be gone first thing in the morning –"

"Gone?" Mrs Potter cut across him sharply. "Where?" James was surprised, too; whatever did Sirius mean? Why was he going so soon – he just got here, for Heaven's sake!

"I don't have much money," Sirius replied, and James knew that he was being completely serious – his eyes were hard and his jaw was set, which happened every time he was trying to make a point. "Perhaps I can borrow some from Andromeda. I'll stay at the Leaky Cauldron or something until September the First –"

"But why?" interrupted Mr Potter, his forehead wrinkled. "You're staying here!"

There was another silence, and James hardly dared to breathe. He fought to keep his glee from exploding; if his parents allowed Sirius to stay here for the entire duration of the summer holidays, they would have so much fun!

"I am?" said Sirius hopefully.

"'Course you are, sweetheart," said Mrs Potter, smiling warmly. "We're _family_ , Sirius – didn't you say so yourself? Well – in that case, families ought to stay together!"

James whooped; he couldn't help it. There was a second of silence, following which Sirius got up and embraced Mr and Mrs Potter tightly. "Thank – thank you," he said thickly, and James was startled to see tears in his best friend's eyes. Sirius didn't cry – that was sort of his rule. He _just_ didn't cry. But now… James supposed that he was overwhelmed, and he regrettably resolved to himself not to tease his friend for being such a sap later.

"James told us you've moved your stuff into the bedroom next to his," said Mrs Potter, standing up. "I think you've had a rough night, Sirius – are you hungry? I can whip something up right now, if you like."

"Er – I –" began Sirius, with an unsure glance at James, who grinned. "Don't be awkward, mate," he said brightly, just as Mrs Potter said, "It's no trouble, sweetheart – this is your home now. You're _home_." Mr Potter nodded and smiled reassuringly. Mrs Potter quickly bustled towards the kitchen.

"I'm home," repeated Sirius, overcome once again. "That's going to take some time to get used to…"

"Well – no time like the present, eh?" said James, beaming. "Mate – it's _corking_ to have you here – we're going to have so much fun!"

"Two pranksters for the price of one," said Mr Potter with mock-trepidation, though the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. "I'm starting to regret this already." James stuck his tongue out at his Dad, who grinned at him.

"Look who's talking – who put fifteen powdered earwax-flavoured Bertie Bott's beans in Professor Dippet's pumpkin juice?" Mrs Potter called from the kitchen. James and Sirius looked at Mr Potter in admiration; the older man winked at them before saying, "The old codger wanted to kick girls off the Quidditch team 'coz two idiot Hufflepuffs were caught kissing in the changing rooms! What kind of a solution is that? Banning _girls_ – I ask you."

James and Sirius sniggered as Mr Potter gave them another wink. James leaned back into his chair contentedly… It was going to be grand, having Sirius live with them. He felt terrible for his friend – James couldn't imagine a world where his doting parents despised him. _Well – that's going to change now_ , he thought firmly… _Now, Sirius is with his true family. His true family…_

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	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews, KJ, Guest and AnnaMT. Cheers! Go ahead and review this chapter too!

Hello everyone, here is chapter one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Two**

" **I'd love to come here again."**

"Whew, that game's rough, mate," said Sirius as he and James trudged back to Potter Mansion. James grinned. "Ahh, c'mon – a little pushing and shoving too much for you, Padfoot?"

Sirius snorted. "I'm just saying – I don't fancy getting elbowed in my face so much!" he said feelingly.

It was James's turn to snort. "The amount of _time_ you spend preening your hair – you'd put a peacock to shame, mate," he said, laughing.

"Peacocks don't have hair," Sirius shot back.

"You got my point, you narcissist," James responded, and promptly dodged a light-hearted smack on the head from his best friend. Laughing, the two of them entered the gates of Potter Mansion and made their way to the front door.

It had been a few days since Sirius's late-night arrival into James's house, and he'd settled in quite nicely. James had been happy and heartened when his parents had welcomed Sirius into their home with open arms – deep down, he'd known that they would've – but it still felt good to be vindicated. Sirius was proving to be an ideal guest, joining them all for mealtimes, trying to help with the housework ("Honestly, dear – we have Tippy, you don't have to scrub the floor!" Mrs Potter had said) and staying out of trouble, though James suspected that the mischief would resume once his best friend grew a little more comfortable.

James had taken Sirius to the ground near Town Square, to see what exactly was it about the Muggle game of football that apparently made it so much fun; indeed, James couldn't see the point of the game if no one had broomsticks. After watching several Muggle boys their age play it, James had been curious to learn what it was all about, and they'd found a couple of boys who'd been nice enough to stay at the end of the match and explain it to them. James had been intrigued, and ignoring Sirius's sceptical glance, he'd asked the boys if they could join in the next day.

Their first game had been a disaster. James and Sirius started the match in opposing teams, having been asked to be 'defenders' – and in the first two minutes, James instinctively caught the Quaffle-sized football in the 'box', resulting in a penalty to Sirius's team that was promptly scored. James's team captain berated him soundly, and Sirius laughed himself silly – but James soon warmed up to the game, although his kicks were weak, with the ball continually going to opposing players instead of his own teammates.

James had become familiar with the game quickly, though. The next day, he employed an approach similar to Quidditch – find the gap, then pass. In five minutes, he made three excellent passes with such pinpoint accuracy that his captain called him to play as a 'midfielder' – James had to run a lot once he was further up the pitch, but his Quidditch training and incredible stamina meant that he was still able to run long after the rest were tired. Football was a rough game, though – a lot more fouling than Quidditch, resulting in a couple of facial scratches for Sirius and a swollen ankle for James – but if you are a wizard with a Healer for a mother, these problems are about as important as History of Magic.

"Something smells good," James said as he entered the kitchen, inhaling deeply. His mother wrinkled her nose. "Definitely not you," she said, frowning, "Take a bath – now. No breakfast until then – heavens, what in the world possessed you both to wake up at six o'clock to play _football_ , of all things?"

"It's a fun game – I'm enjoying it," said James brightly. "Besides – it keeps us in shape for Quidditch." Mrs Potter shook her head but made no further comments, instead shooing them out of the kitchen. "She just showed us a yellow card," said Sirius, laughing at his own joke. James tutted and said, "You mean red card, mate – yellow is only for a serious foul." Sirius wrinkled his forehead before nodding in agreement.

Twenty minutes later, they were midway through their scrambled eggs when two tawny owls flew into the kitchen. "Here," said Mrs Potter, and the owls obediently made their way towards her, holding out their legs for her to detach the large, square envelopes. The owls took off immediately, as Mrs Potter announced, "Well, boys – here are your OWL results! No – finish your breakfast first," she added firmly, as James stuck out a hand for his letter. "James Potter, you've been taught better table manners than that," she said reprovingly, and Sirius snickered. James made a face but obeyed his mother, eating his breakfast with apparent nonchalance – but deep down, he was excited, and a little nervous. How had he performed? Would he be able to take the subjects he so badly wanted to?

Once they were done, Mrs Potter handed them their respective letters. James opened his quickly, and read:

 **ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS**

 _ **Pass Grades:**_

 _ **Fail Grades:**_

 _Outstanding (O)_

 _Poor (P)_

 _Exceeds Expectations (E)_

 _Dreadful (D)_

 _Acceptable (A)_

 _Troll (T)_

 _ **James Henry Potter**_ _has achieved:_

Astronomy

E

Care of Magical Creatures

O

Charms

O

Defence Against the Dark Arts

O

Divination

A

Herbology

O

History of Magic

A

Muggle Studies

O

Potions

E

Transfiguration

O

James read through the results quickly, a smile spreading across his face as he scrolled through the parchment. He'd achieved six 'Outstanding' OWLs, with two E's… He'd even passed Divination and History of Magic, and he knew how much effort he'd put into those – in any case, he would be dropping them now, but it still felt good not to fail an OWL. But most of all, he was relieved that he would be able to continue with the subjects he wanted to. He could still tell his parents that he wanted to become an Auror, and join the Order once he graduated from school…

"Here," said Sirius from behind him, "I only failed History, but who cares about that stupid subject? Let's swap…"

James glanced down at Sirius's grades – there were just three O's here, for Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology… James knew that Herbology was one of Sirius's strengths, and he felt happy that his friend had scored so well in it. There were a lot of E's, an A for Divination, and (not surprisingly) a 'P' in case of History of Magic. "Nicely done, mate – ten OWLs, and you passed History!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping him on the back; there was a poorly-disguised note of envy in his voice. "You tosser – I didn't study for History because you said it was a lost cause – and you passed anyway!"

"What can I say? I'm _that_ good!" said James dryly, and ducked out of the way of a smack from his best friend, just as his Mum said, "Language, Sirius! I won't tolerate that kind of rubbish in my house!"

"Sorry, Mrs Potter," said Sirius, holding up a hand apologetically as James guffawed. "Sorry, mate – I must've passed by a solitary mark! I was sure I was going to fail that one," he said; Sirius made a face and shrugged, but made no further comments. Mrs Potter read through their results before smiling delightedly. "Well done, boys!" she exclaimed. "Your father got nine – you can hold this over his head, James!" James grinned and nodded, as she continued, "Excellent – I'm proud of you both! And Jamie – now that your results have come, how about you write to your friends? They can all come over this Friday night for dinner – like we promised."

"Right," said James, nodding. "I'll write to them right away!"

"No prizes for guessing who he's going to write to first, Mrs Potter," said Sirius mischievously, winking at Mrs Potter as he spoke. James blushed as his Mum returned Sirius's grin. "But of course! You can even ask her how she did in her OWLs, James – I expect she did well, what d'you think, Sirius?"

"Well – Evans _is_ awfully clever," said Sirius with a mock-thoughtful expression. "So, unless she didn't spend all her time staring at me during the exam, I suppose she did all right."

"Ugh – who _does_ that?" James asked, making a face. Sirius grinned. "You'd be surprised," he responded with a smirk. "Girls can't get enough of me." He spread out his arms proudly as he spoke, and James rolled his eyes. "Right," he said sarcastically, "Well – I'm going to send out some invitations now, so how 'bout you amuse yourself for a bit?"

"I'll help Mrs Potter clean up," said Sirius eagerly, turning to the older woman. "Now, really –" Mrs Potter began, but James shot her a meaningful glance, and she gave him a tiny nod before changing tack at once. "I suppose you can wash the dishes, Sirius," she said instead, "And remember – no magic."

"Of course, Mrs Potter – I'll take care of those in a jiffy!" Sirius said, and made his way to the kitchen energetically, carrying a small stack of dirty plates. James gave his mother a smile and a nod (which she returned) before heading to his bedroom upstairs, grateful that she'd taken the hint… _It makes him feel less of an imposition_ , he thought. _Sirius is an idiot… He should understand that he_ isn't _an imposition… But I suppose that is what happens when your parents treat you like scum, doesn't it?_ He felt a stab of sympathy towards his friend, and resolved to make him feel more at home…

An hour later, James was attaching six scrolls of parchment to his owl's feet. "Now, Seraphina – I know this will be a long journey, are you up for it?" The owl gave him an affectionate nip on his finger; she let out a reassuring hoot before taking off into the blue sky. The letters on her feet were almost same in essence – dinner, Friday night, whether it was possible, and if not, they were to let him know of their availability – so that he could schedule it at everyone's convenience.

James watched Seraphina fly out of his window, feeling a sense of happy anticipation. It was going to be fun having everyone over – especially so because someone had never been to his house before, and he was looking forward to showing her around…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Most of James's friends replied promptly, but the one he was really waiting for only arrived on Thursday evening. James immediately tore the letter off the owl's leg and read:

 _Hi James,_

 _Thank you very much for inviting me over for dinner. Unfortunately, I am unable to make it tomorrow – I am going to Birmingham for a week, to stay at my cousin's. I just got back from London this afternoon – I was visiting my Aunt – so, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I understand you want to schedule it on a Friday, right? Well, I would be free during the last week of July and pretty much throughout August – but if everyone else is free tomorrow, you can go ahead and schedule it then. Perhaps we can meet another time._

 _Best,_

 _Lily_

"That's unfortunate, mate," came a voice, and James quickly turned to find Sirius standing right behind him. "It's rude to read over someone's shoulder, you know," he said, a little huffily, but Sirius grinned. "What're you going to do? Everyone's free tomorrow."

"Not her," James replied firmly. "She won't be here – I want to have everyone there, mate."

"But she said –"

"I don't care what she said," James cut across him sharply. "There's no point inviting everyone else if she won't be there, Padfoot… Especially since it was her spell that facilitated Mum and Dad's escape."

Sirius frowned but nodded in agreement. "You have a point, mate," he said, "Just – I hope you remember what I said that day when Snivellus – you know." He looked a little embarrassed, as if reluctant to bring that up.

James softened. "I remember, Padfoot," he said, "But like I said, she played such an important role in the rescue mission – that it's not fair to proceed with the plan without her."

"It's just _dinner_ , James," urged Sirius. "Not like it's an Order of Merlin, First Class ceremony…"

"It's more important than that," James shot back. "Look – I don't care what she says, I'm going to make sure that we all have dinner only when everyone is here. I'd do the same for Liz or Marlene or anyone else…"

"Whatever you say, mate," said Sirius, sounding thoroughly unconvinced. "I just don't want you to –"

"I _know_ , mate," James interrupted sharply once again. Sirius shrugged but thankfully let the matter drop. James immediately sent Lily a reply saying that he won't schedule the visit to his house if even one person was unavailable, and that he'd let her know based on everyone's responses. He didn't feel the need to lie to her by telling her that Liz or someone else was unable to make it that Friday, too – he wasn't the really kind to protect someone's feelings if it meant lying to them.

Finally, based on everyone's responses, the last Friday of July was selected for the much-anticipated dinner party at Potter Mansion. James and Sirius spent their mornings and evenings playing football with the Muggle boys; they were both getting quite good at the game, with James showing skill as a midfielder, and Sirius doing well as a defender. They spent their afternoons doing homework; when that was finished, they opted to carry out research on old and obscure spells that could potentially aid them in duels and battles. Mr Potter kept bringing them sombre news almost every day; attacks were on the rise, and just recently, the home of a prominent witch from the Magical Research and Development had been attacked – to their relief, the researcher in question had managed to escape and was currently in hiding.

The last Friday of July dawned crisp and clear. Mr Potter had assured James that he would be back early, and that he would take care of connecting the Potter Mansion fireplace to every one of James's friends' fireplaces for the evening. He returned in the evening and told James that the process was still on, and would be done in some time. James had already notified his friends that he would be coming to each of their homes to pick them up – he was already feeling a sense of trepidation, thinking about his upcoming visit to a certain someone's house.

Finally, at about six o'clock, the flames glowed green, and a head appeared in the fire: James recognized Callum Harmison from the Ministry, and he gave the grey-haired, clean-shaven man a smile and a wave before hollering, "Dad? C'mere – Mr Harmison's calling you! He'll be here in a minute, Mr Harmison," he added to the man, who grinned. "I just want to say hi," he said, "I hardly see your father these days, James – he's so busy, so I thought I'd use this opportunity to do so."

"Of course," said James politely. "Thank you for all your help, sir."

"Oh, no problem, lad," said Mr Harmison, smiling. "It's no big deal to connect fireplaces for a day – though the wards on this house do make it a little complicated. But I've done this before – which is why, I volunteered to do it again. Gave me a chance to say hi to – oh, there he is! How are you, Fleamont?"

"Quite well, Callum," replied Mr Potter, who had just arrived into the living room. "I _am_ rather surprised to see you, I never thought the Head of the Department of Magical Transportation involved himself with trifling fire connections."

"Normally, I don't," said Mr Harmison, "But it's been ages since we last met, Fleamont – thought this would give me a chance to say hi."

"Of course," smiled Mr Potter, "We should try to meet – how is lunchtime on Monday?"

"Works for me," Mr Harmison responded cheerfully. "Well – see you!" There was a small pop, and his head vanished from the fire.

"Right," said Mr Potter immediately, "You know how it works, James – all you have to do is go to each of your friends' homes, and supply them with the Floo Powder I gave you this morning. The connections are open – but to get through our wards, you need to use this same Floo Powder; otherwise, they'll just be blocked from entering."

"I _know_ , Dad," James said in a bored voice, "I've done this before."

"Just saying," said Mr Potter, shrugging. "Now – go for it, son, I think your mother is nearly finished in the kitchen. And you," he added, as Sirius walked downstairs, "You can help him."

"Yes, Mr Potter," said Sirius obediently, before turning to James and adding, "I'll take Wormtail, Hunt and Mary." There was a suggestive grin on his face, and James couldn't help but feel a little relieved. "Which leaves me with – right, Marlene, Remus and – Lily," he said, nodding.

"Only one of them matters, mate," said Sirius mischievously, before taking a pinch of Floo Powder from James. "I'll go first, shall I?" he asked, and stepped into the fireplace without waiting for an answer. "Huntington Cottage, Cherrywood!" he shouted, and vanished immediately.

"Be right back, Mum!" James called, before stepping into the fireplace himself. "102 Cheyne Walk, London!" he yelled, and threw the Floo Powder; he began to spin, and felt himself go through the whirl of fireplaces before tumbling out of the right one unceremoniously. He immediately straightened himself up.

"Evening, James," greeted a voice, and he looked sideways to find Marlene McKinnon grinning at him. She looked pretty, wearing black jeans and a t-shirt clearly designed to show off her attractive figure. "I hope it's casual – I don't much fancy wearing dress robes."

James grinned and pulled her into a hug. "Been too long," he said brightly, "You ready?"

"Ready when you are," said Marlene, just as Mrs McKinnon stepped into the room. "James, dear, how are you?" she asked him with a smile, and James grinned back at her. "Fine, thank you – and you?"

"Oh, I'm exhausted," the older woman replied, sticking her tongue out in mock-tiredness. "Give your parents my regards!"

"Of course!" said James, offering the enchanted Floo Powder to Marlene, who took it, stepped into the fireplace and yelled, "Potter Mansion!" She vanished immediately, and with a final smile and wave to Mrs McKinnon, James followed suit.

He stepped out into his kitchen just in time to see Liz and Marlene greet each other affectionately. He gave Liz a quick hug before going to fetch Remus; the two of them returned to find Peter already present, and just as they had all exchanged greetings, Mary MacDonald came spinning into view.

"Woah," said Mary, taking in a wondering look around. "Your house is awfully big!"

"Yup," said James, giving her a perfunctory hug and grinning, "But I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a little while before I give the tour –"

But he was cut off as Sirius came spinning into view. "That's my lot done, mate," he said with a wicked grin, "Now – you're up!"

"To fetch Lily?" Peter asked, and Sirius laughed and gave him a clap on his back. "That's right, Wormtail – behold, as our knight, Sir James Potter, goes to bring the vivacious, the elegant, the lovely Lady Lily Evans into his humble abode –"

"Shut up, you ectoplasm," James said quickly, blushing a little as the others laughed. "Make yourselves at home, you lot," he added, just as Mrs Potter bustled out of the kitchen to greet them all. "Hello, children," she said, beaming at them; James took the opportunity to step into the fireplace. "11 Diamond Gardens, Cokeworth!" he shouted, throwing his Floo Powder and going through the whirl of fireplaces once again, hoping, praying that there would be no mistake –

He came to a stop and stumbled out of the fireplace before quickly regaining his balance, hoping that his sudden appearance hadn't caused a sensation – but to his surprise and enormous relief, he saw a very familiar person rise from the sofa and smile at him.

"Evening, James – how are you?" she said, and he couldn't help but grin back at her. Even in a casual light-blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans, Lily Evans looked amazing. It took James only one glance to take in the dark red hair wrapped up in a ponytail, the red lipstick that made her lips rosier than ever, and her almond-shaped green eyes – eyes that always seemed to captivate him. His breath came out a little faster, and his heart rate increased – God, it felt like ages since he'd last seen her. He quickly strode forward and shook her outstretched hand. "Very well, thanks," he said smoothly, "And yourself?"

"Quite good," she replied, before turning away from him and shouting, "Mum! Dad! He's here – I'm leaving!"

"Just a minute, darling!" a female voice called, and a woman entered the room. She was a slight woman, barely five feet tall, with red hair identical to Lily's, and kind, pale-blue eyes. She smiled at James in a welcoming sort of fashion, and said, "I take it you're James Potter?"

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am," said James courteously, bowing to Mrs Evans and shaking her hand. Mrs Evans grinned and said, "Oh, no need to be formal, dear – any friend of Lily's, etcetera!"

James grinned just as a man who could only be Lily's father walked into the room; he was nearly six feet tall, with short blond hair and familiar, almond-shaped green eyes… James strode towards him quickly and held out his hand, saying, "Good evening, Mr Evans – I hope you're well?"

"Oh, just fine, old boy," said Mr Evans, and to his relief, smiled back at him and shook his hand. "So – Lily's going to your house for dinner?"

"Er – that's right, sir," said James, "My – er – parents wanted to invite all my friends over one day, you see…" He wasn't sure how much Lily had told him about their adventure last month, and he stole a quick glance at her – only to find her nodding along with him. Relieved, he gave her a quick smile just as Mr Evans said, "Well, Princess – I dunno what you were going on about, but this chap here seems nice and polite – not at all irritating like you've been telling us!"

"Daddy!" Lily exclaimed, flushing beetroot red. James's grin widened; apparently parents embarrassing their children happened everywhere. Mr Evans chuckled richly, just as Mrs Evans shushed him and said, "Don't mind him, James –"

"'Course not," said James, before turning to Lily. "Er – shall we?" he said awkwardly, "Everyone's already there…"

"Oh – of course," said Lily, and to his relief, she looked as awkward as he felt. He offered her the Floo Powder, and she took a pinch of it uncertainly. "Just step into the fireplace and say, 'Potter Mansion' – you'll go straight to my house," he said reassuringly, and she nodded at him. Stepping into the fireplace, she waved at her parents and said, "Bye Mum – bye Daddy – I'll be back in a couple hours!"

"Have fun, Princess!" said Mr Evans, while Mrs Evans waved back at her daughter. Lily threw the Floo Powder into the grate, and yelled, "Potter Mansion!" A second later, she spun out of sight.

"Er – goodbye, Mr and Mrs Evans," said James, imitating Lily and waving at her parents. "It was nice meeting you, James," said Mrs Evans, smiling warmly at him. "It's always good to meet more of Lily's friends… We've only met Liz and Marlene and Mary."

"Have a good evening – and thank you for inviting Lily," said Mr Evans, and James smiled at him. "Our pleasure!" he said; giving them an energetic wave, he stepped into the fireplace and shouted, "Potter Mansion!"

A few seconds later, he stumbled into his own living room, just in time to hear Lily saying, "I know, Liz – I'm sorry, I've been really busy visiting relatives! Summer's the only time I get to see them!"

"James, my man," Sirius greeted him at once, "We were starting to think you got lost!"

"Very funny," said James, "How in the world could I get lost if I Floo to my own house? You bashi-bazouk!"

There was a shout of laughter from Lily. "Did you just say, 'bashi-bazouk'? That's a trademark Captain Haddock insult!" Mary and Sirius chuckled, but the rest of the company looked confused. "Who is Captain – er, Paddock, is it?" Liz asked curiously, and James chuckled. "He's my new hero," he said dryly, before turning to Lily. "I dunno about you, Evans – but 'bashi-bazouk!' and 'ectoplasm!' are my favourites!"

"Really? I liked 'freshwater swabs!' and 'fuzzy-wuzzy' better!" Lily said, snickering in a manner James had never seen before. His heart began to beat a little faster – he'd just made her laugh once again! "Your Mum was just telling me that you really enjoyed the Tintin comics," she added, and he grinned and nodded.

"He's not the only one," said Sirius, "That bloke is a dictionary of swearwords!"

"Who?" Remus asked, "Will someone explain?"

"It's from a Muggle comic book, mate," said James quickly, just as his mother re-joined them – apparently, from the kitchen. "Dinner is ready, children – but if you lot aren't too hungry, perhaps James can show you around the house a little – you've never been to our house before, have you, Mary and Lily?"

The two girls in question shook their heads, and Lily said eagerly, "Oh, I'd love to take a tour!"

"All right, then," said Sirius, "You three can do that – while we all go to the orchard to do something that's _actually_ fun – like a game of Quidditch!"

"I'm up for that," said Liz at once, and Marlene nodded. Peter looked unsure, and Remus said, "Well – sure, why not?"

"I'll referee," said Peter immediately, "We're five people – no way to form even teams."

"Right – well, broom-shed's this way, c'mon!" said Sirius enthusiastically, and the little group walked out of the living room, chattering excitedly, leaving James with his Mum, Mary and Lily.

"Well – here we go, then," said James, "This is the living room – houses the fireplace and several sofas. The kitchen and the dining room are also on this floor – along with Dad's study. Oh, and Tippy's quarters, too!"

"Tippy?" Lily asked, her tone confused. "That's our house-elf," supplied James, and Lily gave a little nod. "You'd make a good tour guide, James – you're an expert at boring your guests to death!" she said dryly, and Mary chuckled. James rolled his eyes and said, "That's because all the interesting stuff is upstairs – c'mon, let's go."

He led the way up the stairs and showed them a row of several bedrooms – pointing out his own, and steadfastly refusing to let them enter it, even though Lily expressed a wish to do so. He took them to the second floor without much delay, and said, "And here – here are two of the most important rooms in the house. There's Mum's laboratory – she brews Potions here, and tinkers around with them as well."

"Really? Can we enter?" Lily asked eagerly, and James gave her an indulgent smile. "Sure, why not?" he said, and the two girls followed him into the big chamber. Several thick books lay open on a table in the centre of the room, and in a corner, a cauldron stood, emitting greenish smoke. "Er – what's that?" Mary asked, and James shrugged. "Dunno – Mum does a lot of funny stuff," he replied. "C'mon – there's one more place that remains – I think this'll interest you, Lily."

She raised her eyebrows at him, but he merely beckoned the girls to follow him. They entered a room right at the end of the passage. "Wow!" Lily exclaimed, and James grinned. "This – is our library," he said proudly. "Home to several old volumes full of obscure spells I'm sure you've never heard of!"

"Wow!" Lily exclaimed again, before turning to him and giving him a light-hearted punch on his arm. "I'm _so_ jealous – this is a treasure trove of information!"

"I agree," said Mary, "D'you have any books on magical plants from the Great Rift Valley?"

"Not a clue," shrugged James, "You're welcome to take a look, though…"

"Nah – some other time, perhaps," said Mary, grinning as Lily walked along the aisles between the bookshelves, clearly spellbound. "You need to get her out of here – or else we'll be stuck in here for an hour at least," Mary added to him in an undertone, and he grinned. "OI, Lily! You can come back later if you like – right now, we'll be late for dinner!" he called, and Lily rushed back to them at once. "Right – sorry," she said, "But I'd love to come here again."

"Well – you're welcome to, at any time," said James graciously. "That's it for the tour, really – there's some paintings of my Potter ancestors at the back of the library, too. Now, c'mon – let's go downstairs!"

"Er – how is everything so bright?" wondered Lily, looking around as they descended the stairs. "At Liz's house, there's a Luminescence Spell on the walls, she told me – is it the same here, too?"

"Yep," said James, "It's a very common thing in Wizarding homes… The spell's usually very simple, can be controlled by the mind."

"All you have to do is simply _will_ the walls to be a little brighter or darker – the spell recognises the presence of a witch or wizard who lives there, and the effects are seen accordingly," added Mary. "For instance – James can change the brightness of each room here – but you or I won't be able to do that."

"I see," said Lily, smiling. James recognized that smile – it usually came when she managed to ingest another nugget of knowledge, be it academics or just new information. He grinned. "I like things bright, myself," he said, and Lily returned his smile. "Likewise," she said. James stole a glance at Mary, who wore a little smirk on her face; he quickly looked away, he didn't want to be teased about Lily – especially when she was two feet away from him.

The others returned to the dining room at the same moment as James, Lily and Mary, and by the looks of it, there was a disagreement going on. "She _fouled_ me, Peter," Sirius was saying, "C'mon – how did you not see that? Are you blind?"

"Back off, Sirius," Marlene said at once, "Peter made the right decision, that wasn't a foul."

"It was!" Sirius exclaimed, but Mrs Potter came up to them at that moment. "My goodness – how did you lot get so sweaty and smelly after fifteen minutes of Quidditch?" she said, her voice carrying a touch of exasperation. She whipped out her wand, and five seconds later, a pleasant smell spread across the kitchen. "Now – this is a temporary fix, I want everyone to bathe before going to bed tonight, or else I'll be the one who has to answer to your parents!" she said, and James suppressed a chuckle as his friends nodded meekly. Mrs Potter turned around and spotted them.

"There you are," she said, "Right, that's everyone, then – James, dear, go and fetch your father, he dashed to the study to check something." She shook her head, and James nodded, grinning. His father was probably going to catch it from his mother once everyone was safely home…

Ten minutes later, the little company was seated around the large dining table (James surreptitiously chose a seat next to Lily, and ignored Liz's suggestive wink), which groaned under the weight of Mrs Potter's delicious cooking. The roasted chicken, the salmon stew, pasta, egg rice and the Bubble-and-Squeak appetizer all looked irresistibly mouthwatering, and James courteously began to serve everyone else. "It's no trouble," he said quickly in response to Marlene, who had opened her mouth, clearly about to say something, and no one else made any objections.

"Mmm – it's delicious, Mrs Potter!" Lily exclaimed, "You should give me the recipe sometime!"

"Why, thank you, dear," said Mrs Potter with a little smile, "You cook?"

"Yep – my Mum says that witch or no witch, cooking is a skill everyone must master. It's quite similar to brewing potions – I don't find it too difficult, really!" Lily replied cheerfully.

"That's very impressive, Lily – and of course, your Mum's right!" said Mrs Potter, before giving James a glance. "You should learn from her, son!"

"Nah, that's OK, Mum," James shot back with a grin, "If I learn how to cook, I'll put you and Tippy to shame, and we don't want that, do we?" Everyone chuckled at that, and Sirius said, "Ugh – if you start cooking, you'll probably send us all to St Mungo's with bad stomachs!"

The light-hearted conversation continued, and talk soon rolled around to the events of the past month. "Did you know that James was setting off to rescue you single-handedly after we figured out your code, Mrs Potter?" said Liz, her tone incredulous, and Mrs Potter gasped and frowned at him. "Is that true?" she asked, and James nodded. "I didn't want to endanger their lives!" he protested, and Marlene laughed. "So, what? You were going to fly to Swansea and get yourself killed? _That_ was the master plan?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Well – I'm glad you talked him out of that insanity," said his Mum, and his Dad smiled. "You need to think clearly, son – if you want to be an Auror, you must be cool and calm at all times," he said. "I was calm throughout!" James said indignantly. "It was just the initial phase – I was worried sick, what did you expect me to do? Granted, this lot held me back, and thank God they did – but throughout the battle, I made sure to cover all our bases, and I was calm, methodical and clinical – wasn't I?" he added, with a sideways glance at Sirius, Liz and Marlene, silently daring them to contradict him; it _was_ true, after all.

"Well – he _was_ , wasn't he?" said Marlene, and Liz nodded. "Seconded," she said, and James grinned. "Thank you!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"Yes, he certainly was," said Lily, "When I was weak – he was quick-witted enough to realize that pumping air into my flame barrier would strengthen it – incidentally, how in the world didn't you even break into a sweat? I was _knackered_ – and to him, it was just another Quidditch practice!" she added to the company in general, and James grinned smugly.

"I'm _that_ good," he said, and Lily elbowed him at once. Laughing, he said, "OK – OK! I guess you didn't know that the Fire Wave drains your strength about twice as fast as the Air Wave, did you?"

"Ah, that explains it," said Lily thoughtfully. "Well – I certainly need to increase my stamina if I'm to stand any chance at battling those stupid Death Eaters."

"We all do," said Mary. "I wasn't battling with you all – but by the time Peter and I got to London, I was myself feeling pretty tired! Thank goodness Peter was carrying those cupcakes."

"I _always_ carry food," said Peter with a grin, "I didn't know that habit would be so useful, though."

"So – how did you get past the watchwizard, Mary?" Mr Potter asked her, and Mary grinned. "I took the Disillusionment Charm off myself and argued with that bloke – I knew he wouldn't have let me in anyway, but it allowed Peter to sneak in. You see, he was still Disillusioned…" Peter nodded, grinning. "I just sneaked past him – he didn't even notice me," he said proudly. "Of course – I was tiny –"

"Tiny?" interrupted Liz, and James drew in a sharp breath. _Dammit, Peter – you moron!_ he thought, trying to quickly come up with something as Liz continued, "C'mon, Peter – you're as big as the rest of us –"

"He meant _short_ , didn't you, Pete?" said Remus sharply, with a quick sideways glance at Peter, who flushed. "Yes – that's what I meant," he said, and James relaxed at once. _Good old Moony!_ he thought; a glance in Lily's direction told him that she was suspicious, and he decided to steer the conversation out of these turbulent waters. "So, did you hear? The Munich Falcons won the QCL this year!" he blurted, and Sirius immediately came to his support. "Yup – I always said they were too good for the Roma Sharks," he said, "And the final proved it – the Falcons won, three-twenty to a mere forty!"

"What happened to your teams – Puddlemere and the, er – _Tornadoes_ , is it, Black?" Lily asked, and Sirius nodded in agreement. "Both lost in the quarters," he said sadly, "No English team in the final four – hasn't happened in the past twenty years!"

The rest of the evening passed enjoyably, with some discussion about the OWL results. "Six O's, Lily – I know you didn't beat me, and if you did, I'll eat my shoe," said James confidently. Lily stared at him for a few seconds, before letting out a huge sigh. "Ugh, fine – I got six O's too, happy? O's in Defence, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms Arithmancy – and, er, History of Magic."

Sirius shouted with laughter. "How did you get an O in that pathetic subject?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Well – I take _notes_ , Black," she shot back at him smugly, and Liz laughed. "I don't care how many OWLs I get, so long as I can study Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Defence and Ancient Runes," she said, reeling off her subjects one by one. "Likewise – except for the Runes," said Marlene, and Remus echoed her. Mary nodded in agreement, but Peter looked worried. "D'you think I can continue with Potions? I mean, I only got an 'A'…"

"You'll have to talk to Slughorn, mate," said Sirius, and Peter looked at them all sadly. "I passed all subjects except History – but I have more A's than E's and O's. In fact, my only 'O' is in Transfiguration."

A rather shocked silence followed this announcement; Transfiguration was the hardest subject there was. James grinned; all that Animagus training meant that Peter had really, _really_ studied Transfiguration, and it looked like the hard work had paid off. "Wow – well done, Peter," Lily said, smiling a little weakly, and James could easily see what she was thinking: how in the world had Peter Pettigrew, of all people, had achieved an 'O' in Transfiguration, when she, Lily Evans, hardworking Prefect extraordinaire, hadn't crossed a lowly 'E'? He decided to rub it in.

"Wow – Pete beat you at Transfiguration, Lily," he said with mock awe, and Lily gave him a glare before smiling at Peter. "Yeah, well – looks like you're going to have to teach me Transfiguration, Peter!" she said lightly.

"I'll teach you," volunteered James immediately, and Lily looked at him again. "No, thanks – I'd rather learn from someone who can spend five minutes without talking about Quidditch," she shot at him, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Hey! I don't talk that much about Quidditch!" he protested, and to his chagrin, that brought the house down. _Huh – maybe I do_ , he thought, observing everyone else's guffawing laughter. _Oh, well… I guess I love the sport way too much!_

It was time for dessert, and Mary, Peter and Marlene went into transports of delight when Mrs Potter Summoned the large bowl of pudding towards them at the end of their meal. "Fruit trifle," she announced unnecessarily, and James smiled happily. That was his second-favourite dessert, after treacle tart… They all served themselves, and it was indeed as delicious as it looked. James noticed Lily hesitate after finishing her portion, as though debating with herself as to whether she should take a second helping, and he gave her a broad smile. "Go ahead," he encouraged, "I know that my Mum's fruit trifle is irresistible!"

"Too true," said Lily with a happy sigh, "But – no – I'm trying to maintain my fitness –"

"C'mon, it's fine! You said you're playing a new game – tennis, isn't it?"

"Yes, but –"

"Then you're getting enough exercise! C'mon – have it, you've earned it!"

Lily let out another sigh before smiling resignedly and taking a second helping. "Lily, sweetheart – you're a growing girl, you don't have to deprive yourself!" Mrs Potter exclaimed. Lily shook her head, looked at James and said, "Well – James was kind enough to allow me to practise with the Gryffindor team – just the warm-up drills, though –"

"Yeah, you got the easy stuff," Marlene muttered, and everyone laughed. "Yup – I usually bathe in my own sweat after Quidditch practice," Sirius said, drawing distasteful expressions from everybody. "Yuck," said Liz, "You sweat like a dog!"

James laughed, as did Remus and Peter. If only Liz knew…

"My _point_ ," said Lily firmly, "Is that James advised me to reduce sweets and chocolates and pudding, and though it was tough at first, I was able to do it… I eat pies and desserts very occasionally now, just like you, James," she added to him, "And I can feel the difference!" She looked proud as she spoke, and James beamed, pleased at his success in helping her…

"Hang on – did you say that James _doesn't_ have sweets and pudding?" said Mr Potter, raising his eyebrows and giving him a mischievous smirk. "Then who eats all the macaroons and scones every day – Merlin?"

"Different rules at home, Dad," said James nonchalantly.

"But you do the same in school as well, mate," said Peter, his forehead wrinkled, "We go to the kitchens after dinner every night, don't we? I even remember what you said at the start of last year… 'We should try to persuade the house-elves to send food to Gryffindor tower. Oh, and don't tell Evans that we come here every night…' – Oh." He stopped talking awkwardly, his mouth slightly open.

"Thanks a lot, Pete," said James irritably, bracing himself for the explosion that was sure to come.

"You hypocrite!" Lily exclaimed, giving him a none-too-light smack on his back, as everyone burst into laughter. "You said you'd _given up desserts_ – which is why I followed suit!"

"Well – it helped you, didn't it?" said James, giving her what he hoped was a winning smile as the others continued to roar with laughter. "Besides, I play so much Quidditch that I work it all off!"

Lily gave him a mutinous glare before shrinking back. "I suppose that's fair," she conceded grudgingly.

None too soon, it was time for everyone to leave, and Mr Potter waved them all goodbye before saying regretfully that he had an important meeting he had to attend. James wondered what it could be this late, but decided to overlook it – it was probably top-secret Order of the Phoenix business. Mrs Potter remained to see his friends off, however, and after invitations to come back at any time they liked, the group took their leave one by one. Just after Mary, Marlene and Peter had left, though, Lily turned to Mrs Potter and asked, "Ooh, Mrs Potter – I was wondering if you'd do me a small – nah, I shouldn't."

But his Mum laughed. "Don't be a stranger now, dear – what is it?" she asked kindly. Lily hesitated before saying, "Er – I wanted to know if I could borrow a book from the library, you see – if you happen to have something on Middle Eastern or Far Eastern Potions, that would be –"

"Of course, dear – c'mon, let's go upstairs," said Mrs Potter with a genial smile, and Lily happily followed her upstairs. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sirius and the others rounded on him at once, much to his surprise.

"You idiot!" Sirius exclaimed sharply, "What're you _doing_? You said you weren't going to chase her anymore!"

"But I didn't!" James responded indignantly. "I didn't ask her out at all!"

"What Sirius means, is that – you couldn't keep your eyes off her," supplied Liz, her sea-green eyes twinkling. "If you're not going to chase her – you need to bloody act like it!"

James opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. Had he really been that obvious?

"Point is, mate," said Remus mildly, "That you want to get her to like you, at least as a friend. And I can assure you that the staring doesn't help at all."

"All right!" said James, raising his palms. "Fine – I'll work on my behaviour."

"I think you're doing fine, mate," said Sirius stoutly. "She came here – and she was really nice and friendly, not at all antagonistic. Just – less staring, more talking, and one day she might like you back, that's all I'm saying."

At that moment, Lily and Mrs Potter came down the stairs, with Lily carrying a fat, worn-out book and looking quite pleased. Remus gave James a reassuring smile, and with a wave to the rest, stepped into the fireplace and vanished. Liz hugged them all (James couldn't help but notice that the hug to Sirius was a teensy bit longer) before imitating Remus. Finally, it was Lily's turn to leave.

"Well – I'm glad you came, Lily, it was great to have you here," said Mrs Potter, giving her a hug. Lily grinned and said, "You have a beautiful home… Thank you for having us – and thanks for the book!" Turning to Sirius, she shook hands with him, before turning to James. He held out his hand, but she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, c'mere!" To his shock and delight, she pulled him into a quick hug and waved to Mrs Potter before stepping into the fireplace and Flooing back to her house.

"Did – did you see that? She _hugged_ me!" James said at once, with mingled surprise and elation.

"So?" said Sirius. "Not like you haven't hugged her before!"

"It's the first time she initiated it," said James, although that wasn't entirely true… He remembered with a pang the time she'd hugged him last, the night Sirius had told Snivellus to go down the passage beneath the Whomping Willow. But at that time, she'd been overwhelmed… This time, it was different. It was a lot – _friendlier_ …

"Well – if that's the girl you like, Jamie – she's a keeper," said Mrs Potter, smiling at him warmly. "I liked her – she's wonderful!"

James stared at his mother, startled. He'd never told his parents about his feelings towards Lily Evans – so, how did his mother know? As if reading his mind, Mrs Potter said, "Oh, darling – just the way you were looking at her, that's what gave you away!"

"Yes, well – I doubt if she'll ever like me," said James tersely, abandoning all secrecy and pretence. But his mother's grin widened. "Oh, she will," she said confidently. "Patience, sweetheart – patience…"

"You think so?" asked James hopefully.

"I _know_ so," said Mrs Potter with conviction. "Be friends with her, get to know her – and there's no reason that she won't start liking you one day!"

"Wow – that's what I said!" exclaimed Sirius. "Well, what do you know? I _do_ give great advice!"

James laughed, but his mind was elsewhere. If, by some miracle, he did end up together with Lily, what then? What was the plan? The answer came to him simply enough – there was absolutely no doubt in his mind.

 _Someday I'm going to marry that girl._

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	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews, AnnaMT, Tyler'sPrincess, and Potterhead2005. You're awesome! Cheers!

 **AnnaMT** : Haha, not the adjective I'd use, but sure!

 **Tyler'sPrincess** : Thank you! I decided to be a little more detailed in this story than before, and it's nice to know that it's working!

 **Potterhead2005** : Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too!

Hello everyone, here is chapter one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Three**

" **As family, we should accept each other for who we are."**

"Lily, sweetheart – that was Severus at the door," said Mrs Evans as she entered Lily's room. Lily paused and looked up from her half-filled Hogwarts trunk, her eyebrows raised. "And?" she asked, a little aggressively, "What did you _say_ , Mum?"

"I said you were out – at the supermarket, this time," said Mrs Evans, rolling her eyes. "Look – I'm sure he knows that you're here, he's not stupid. Just – talk to him once, won't you?"

"No," said Lily shortly, leaning back on her bed and giving her mother a stony sort of look. "I've already said whatever was required – I'm not going to say anything more." She threw her neatly folded school robes into the trunk with unnecessary force, causing them to unravel; shaking her head, she withdrew them from the trunk and began to fold them again.

"Lily, darling," said Mrs Evans gently, "C'mon – give that boy a chance… I'm sure whatever happened, it wasn't that bad –"

" _Wasn't that bad?_ " echoed Lily incredulously, facing her Mum. "Honestly, Mum – it was horrible. I don't care that he's sorry, I don't care if he begs or grovels – but I don't want anything more to do with him. And if he's bothering you, just tell him that he isn't welcome here."

"But what happened that was _so_ bad?" Mrs Evans asked, with mingled curiosity and confusion.

"Trust me – you don't want to know," Lily replied, shaking her head again. How could she tell her Mum that Severus had called her – that vile word? Her mother would undoubtedly feel terrible… No, her parents were better off not knowing. "Look – just drop it, Mum… Please," she added, looking right into her Mum's pale-blue eyes. Mrs Evans sighed and gave her a little nod.

"So – all set for tomorrow?" she asked in a would-be casual voice. Lily nodded and pointed to her little rucksack that lay next to the door. "Yep," she said, "I'm taking that with me – and don't worry, I'll be back on the thirtieth. I just want most of my packing done so that I can spend the thirty-first with you and Daddy – and not have the bother of looking for all my stuff."

"All right," said Mrs Evans. "And you're travelling by fire tomorrow? Or what d'you lot call it – Floo, isn't it?"

"That's right, Mum," said Lily, grinning. "Mrs Huntington's friend from the Ministry is having our fireplace connected to theirs for tomorrow, so that I can travel to Huntington Cottage without much difficulty."

"Hmm – your ways of travelling are certainly quicker," said Mrs Evans, a little admiringly. Lily's grin widened. "It's _magic_ , Mum," she said, and Mrs Evans rolled her eyes again. "Come downstairs for an after-dinner snack when you're done," she said, and Lily nodded. "I'm baking a new batch of macaroons." She gave Lily another grin and exited the bedroom.

Lily threw the last of her belongings into the trunk, before settling back onto the bed and giving a little sigh of satisfaction while looking outside the window. It was a beautiful evening in late August, with September the First only ten days away. Lily had spent her holidays completing her schoolwork, playing tennis, and reading the book Mrs Potter had graciously lent to her. She had to admit that the book was a mine of information, and she felt that it had completely changed her point of view on Healing Potions. Witches and wizards in the Middle East used water from cacti in almost all potions, but what had surprised her the most was its effectiveness in healing injuries – it was nearly as good as the essence of dittany. Lily knew that a cactus had thorns to conserve water and use it efficiently, but what was new was that the water gained healing properties once the plant was exposed to hot and dry conditions – a common occurrence in the Arabian and Sahara deserts. She quickly figured out the reason why there were differences in the main constituents of healing potions – the availability, obviously.

Lily stared outside her window, thinking… Her mind immediately went to her new friend, whose mother had lent her the potions book. She'd been in contact with James throughout the summer, even after visiting his house – she'd come to realize that he was a rather interesting fellow; he was not simply a clown who played the fool at all times, but capable of deep thought, too. She'd been saddened to learn of Sirius's rejection by his family from James… She could definitely sympathize, having lived with a sister who had treated her awfully for all these years… But to be disowned, that was something else. Lily couldn't imagine her proud and loving parents kicking her out of the house, just because she was different…

Her mind wandered to the dinner she'd attended at Potter Mansion, more than three weeks ago. Much to her surprise, she'd actually had a good time there… James's parents were every bit as nice as Liz had told her, and her brief meetings with them over the past few years had done nothing to disabuse her of that notion. But most of all, she'd been pleasantly surprised with the change in James's attitude towards her…

She'd initially been a little hesitant towards going to his house. Of course, she'd resolved to try and be friends with him at the end of last year – a major part of that resolution had been sending him the collection of her favourite Muggle comics, _The Adventures of Tintin_ , as a gesture of her appreciation towards him saving her life that day. She'd sweated over her decision for three days before steeling herself and sending it over, hoping that he'd like it. She'd been vindicated when she'd heard him use some of Captain Haddock's insults.

But throughout the evening at his house, she'd noticed a marked change in his behaviour. Sure, she'd seen shades of his cockiness and arrogance, but he'd been remarkably charming – so charming, in fact, that she'd actually found herself laughing at his jokes, and enjoying his company. It hadn't escaped her notice that he'd stared at her for just a fraction of a second too long before engaging someone else in conversation, though. She could see it in his hazel eyes – he still liked her, she could say that with certainty. But she had to give him credit for trying – trying to be friends with her, trying to get over her. And as long as he wasn't irritating her, she was determined to give him the benefit of the doubt. She'd agreed to be friends with him – and she would see it through. Lily Evans was no quitter.

Someone knocked on the open door, and Lily turned her gaze towards it just as her sister entered her bedroom without invitation. "Sure, c'mon in," she said, her voice sarcastic, but Petunia ignored her remark. "Listen, freak – I wasn't trying to eavesdrop when Mum was here earlier," she began, and Lily snorted. _I'll bet you weren't_ , she thought. Petunia ignored the interruption and continued, "It sounded like you're not friends with that awful Snape boy anymore – is that true?"

"Even if it were, why is it your business?" Lily asked with a touch of asperity. Petunia sat down on her bed.

"It _is_ my business – if he comes up to me in the supermarket and asks me how you're doing," she responded baldly.

" _What?_ " Lily exclaimed, her eyes wide. "He did – _what?_ "

"Exactly what I said," Petunia replied, looking satisfied with the effect she'd created. "I figured that if he's asking me how you were doing, that must mean that you and he weren't talking or something –"

"Little Sherlock, aren't you?" Lily interrupted.

"Anyway, I told him that if he was so curious, he should just come around the house at nine o'clock tonight to see for himself how you were doing," Petunia continued with a little smirk.

"WHAT?" Lily exclaimed again. "Tuney – _how could you?_ He – here – dammit – that stupid prick – and you – you – _why?_ " She stared at her sister with mingled fury and incredulity, completely at a loss for words.

"Oh – relax, I'm only winding you up," said Petunia with a wicked grin on her face. "The part about the supermarket is completely true, though – I just told him to sod off and carried on with my shopping."

Lily's shoulders relaxed at once. "Whew," she said, "Though that did sound like something you'd do – just to spite me."

"Everything isn't about you, freak," Petunia shot at her. "Besides, I don't need him to spite you – I have that covered on my own."

"Really? Is that something to be proud of?" Lily responded irritably.

"Little bit," said Petunia, holding up her thumb and forefinger with a small gap between them. "Anyway – what happened? What did he do to you?"

Lily wrinkled her forehead. "Why do you care, anyway?" she asked curiously.

"So that I could tell you that I was right!" Petunia burst out. "I _told_ you that boy was trouble, but _no_ – you didn't listen, and you went off to that freak school of yours anyway! But now – now, if you're ready to apologise and give all that up, I'm ready to stop treating you like this."

Lily gave a derisive laugh. "Everything isn't about you, Tuney," she said, repeating her sister's own words. "You don't understand, do you? The Wizarding world is more than just me and Severus… There's Liz, there's Marlene, there's Professor Dumbledore, and all the fascinating people I met at Hogwarts! So, no – Severus may have done something so terrible that I never want to see his stupid face ever again – but that doesn't mean I'm going to turn my back on my world!"

" _My_ world," repeated Petunia disdainfully. "See? You've already distanced yourself from us all – even after I offered you an olive branch."

Lily gave Petunia a sad smile, inwardly marvelling at her sister's self-important demeanour. "No, Tuney," she said, "I was the one who tried, time and again, to keep things the same between us. You kept shooting me down – throwing my presents to you against the wall – and rejecting me at every possible opportunity. You just don't understand, do you?" She faced Petunia squarely, and looked right into her pale-blue eyes, so like their Mum's.

"I didn't distance myself, Tuney – _you_ did," she said bluntly. " _You did…_ "

There was a pause, and Lily ploughed on, "Being a witch – is part of who I am. It is a part – an extremely important one, at that – of me, and it's something that's not going to change. You could've simply accepted me for what I am – but you didn't. You were mean and horrible to me, even after I tried so many times. In fact, the _one_ act of kindness from you that I can recall over the past five years – was when you comforted me after I'd split up with – a boy." She paused as she felt her eyes becoming moist. She blinked her tears back and added, "I'm grateful for that, Tuney – but that was it. That was it…"

There was a third, lengthier pause. Petunia was simply staring at her; she looked shocked and unable to articulate a response. Lily continued, " _I_ should be the one extending an olive branch. You have _some nerve_ for thinking _I_ should apologise to _you_ – but I'll overlook that. Like it or not, we're still sisters – we're family. God, Tuney!" she suddenly exclaimed. "We're _family!_ As family, we should accept each other for who we are! And while I've always done that – you could never do that with me. You just couldn't…"

She sighed, and quite against her better judgement, placed her hand over her sister's. She took it as a good sign that Petunia didn't throw it off. "I'm willing to give it a try," she said, her voice gentle. "I recently realized that I could be friends with someone even if they were annoying, conceited, and arrogant to the point of being insufferable… This would be a whole lot easier, if you don't make it so hard!" She squeezed Petunia's hand. "Please," she whispered, "Accept me for who I am. I'd like my elder sister back. Please…"

She searched Petunia's face, and found a variety of emotions on it… Fury, indignation, resentment – but in her sister's pale-blue eyes, Lily could read indecision – with a hint of sadness. Her hopes rose at once, but in a moment, the indecision vanished – only to be replaced by a cold, hard look. She withdrew her hand from Lily's sharply, as if Lily's touch had somehow scalded her.

"You're pathetic," she said disdainfully. "You keep saying I rejected you – but you rejected us all long before that, the moment you set foot onto that bloody train on that bloody platform." She shook her head and stood up.

"I'm leaving," she blurted out. "I'm going to London – there's a nice university there which has accepted me to pursue a two-year typing course… I have nimble fingers, and I can type at a speed of seventy words per minute without making a single mistake." Her voice carried a hint of pride. "That course will get me an internship at even _The Times_ – and if I work hard enough, I can even work there full-time. If we're lucky, I'll have to see your face only during Christmas – for just one day of the year." She grimaced before raising her chin haughtily. "I'm on my way to carving out a life of my own – away from all this rubbish, away from being the second-best child… Away from – _you_."

Lily just sat there, shocked, as her sister gave her another contemptuous look. "By the time you get back from your freak friend's, I'll be long gone. I only wanted to see if you would apologise and we could part on at least a friendly note… But I see that my attempt was futile."

"Tuney…" Lily began, unsure of what to say, but Petunia interrupted her. "Goodbye, Lily," she said, her voice carrying a note of finality, "Have fun in your freak world." With a last disdainful glance towards her, Petunia turned her heel and marched out of Lily's bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Lily kept staring at the closed door before slumping back on her bed. She didn't know what she was feeling… Severus had approached Tuney to enquire about her. Well, he was a tenacious bugger, wasn't he? And Tuney, presumptuous, self-righteous Tuney, proclaiming that she, Lily, was the one who should be apologising to her – for being a witch, no less. _The nerve_ , thought Lily incredulously, and began to laugh. Once she started, she couldn't stop – she guffawed uncontrollably until tears began to roll down her eyes, stopping only when she felt a stitch in her side. God, she must be going insane…

She sombrely drew in a deep breath. All the hope that had risen in her was now effectively crushed, and she felt tears of hurt and anger come to her eyes. But she wiped them away fiercely… If someone was making her apologise for being herself, if someone could make her feel so bad just for being who she was, well – she'd be better off without them, wouldn't she? _Yes, I would_ , she thought firmly. _Tuney can bugger off… I'm probably better off not talking to her again, just like Severus._

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her appetite for the macaroons had vaporised… Tears came to her eyes again, she couldn't help it – and this time she let them fall. She was tired of being strong for herself, for carrying the pain of her sister's rejection. For once, she just wanted to let it all out… And so, she hugged her pillow close and cried silently to herself, until sleep overcame her at last.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow – she _actually_ said that?" Liz asked as they walked along the beach. Lily nodded sombrely. "Yep – she wants nothing to do with me. I guess that was sort of the case – but she'd never said it out loud. That's what hurts me more, really – I never gave up hope, until now, that is."

Liz pulled her into a sympathetic sideways hug. "Don't worry – you're like my sister, Lil. I can be the sister you always wanted."

"You already are," said Lily, with a slight smile at her best friend. Liz grinned and said, "Always!"

A silence fell between them, until Liz said, "So – did Snape try talking to you again? Maybe – coming over to your house, I mean?"

"He came over about five times over the past couple of weeks," said Lily dully. "Twice he came when you were there, too."

"You kept that quiet!" Liz exclaimed, her tone accusing.

"You'd have hexed him if you'd seen him – and I don't want _you_ to get a warning from the Ministry because of that git," Lily responded, and Liz nodded in agreement. "Fair point – but then, did you meet him at all?"

"Nah – my parents had very specific instructions. If Severus came to our house and asked for me, they were to make up any story – either I wasn't there, or that I was sleeping. I already told him that I wasn't going to be friends with him anymore – but he's having a hard time accepting it, the bloody fool," Lily replied derisively.

"I sort of feel sorry for him," Liz said softly, and Lily gave her an astonished look. "I meant – I'd feel sorry for anyone whom you sever ties with," Liz added quickly, and Lily grinned. "Aww, how sweet of you – does my friendship mean that much to you?"

But Liz's face was serious. "I'm not joking, really, Lily," she said, her sea-green eyes boring into Lily's own. "You see – I'm an only child, aren't I? I never had a – a brother or a sister, so to say. My cousins – I see them so infrequently, they don't count as having a sibling… That's why, when we became friends in first year, I sort of held on to you. You were my first friend at Hogwarts…"

"Well – you were _my_ first friend at Hogwarts," Lily replied, "Because obviously – Severus doesn't count!"

Liz laughed. "You know how I am, Lily," she said. "I try to remain cool and calm most of the time, and I don't like to show my emotions. I tease, I mock, and I ridicule my friends – it's all in fun, and they take it quite well, thank God for that. But you…" She paused. "You are the only one who _really_ understands me. Regardless of my stoicism, you know exactly how I'm feeling. You know that I snap at people when I'm upset, and yet – you disregard it every time, because you _know_ me. If I want to cry, I don't care if I do it in front of you – 'coz you're the only one around whom I can be – myself."

"Wow," Lily said, as Liz came to an end with her monologue. Of course, she knew that Liz held her in as much regard as she held Liz in… But this was the first time that Liz had articulated her thoughts to her. "Well – it goes both ways, Liz," she began. "When I came to Hogwarts, and my only friend was Sorted into another House, you were the one who defended me to James and Black – I don't know if you remember it, but I do. That was enough for me – besides, when I got to know you, it was great! You – you just looked past the fact that I was Muggle-born, that I was friends with Severus, that I was, and still am, such a hothead – and you stuck with me anyway. You were never afraid to give me your opinion, regardless of whether I'd listen to you. I was a newcomer into the Wizarding world, and you – you just welcomed me with open arms." She could feel tears in her eyes, and she felt somewhat relieved as she saw that Liz's sea-green eyes were rather moist as well. "You've been my pillar of support for all these years," she added, "Please – never, ever, change that."

"Like you said, it goes both ways," said Liz thickly, and pulled Lily into an embrace. They broke apart after a few seconds, turning away from each other to quickly wipe their eyes. "So – all set to go to Diagon Alley this afternoon?" Liz asked, as they began to walk back to Huntington Cottage. "We can go there after lunch – the boys will be there, too – James and Sirius, at least."

Lily gave Liz a little nudge. "So – I'm essentially going to be third wheel to you and Black?" she asked with a grin. Liz rolled her eyes. "Well – Marlene will be there too, and in that case, counting you and James, she's going to be the fifth wheel!" There was a wicked grin on Liz's face.

"Me and James? Ha – that's ridiculous!" Lily responded, laughing. "C'mon – he even stopped asking me out. Turns out, he's actually a nice person… Who knew?" she added, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well – _I_ did," said Liz, smirking. "I told you that for so many years – I'm glad you saw sense at last."

"Shut up – don't take empty credit," said Lily, mock-punching Liz on the arm. "You should've seen him that night, though – I don't think I'd have lasted that long if it hadn't been for him! Seriously, the way he kept encouraging me, imploring me not to give up… And that too, after he had a chance to escape! He came back for us."

"Well – that's James for you!" Liz replied stoutly. "He's chivalrous – and honourable. He will _never_ leave anyone behind… Especially after seeing the danger we all were in."

"I guess I always knew that he was a good person – very, _very_ deep down," Lily said dryly, and Liz laughed. "Well – I'm glad the two of you are friends now, at any rate," she said, and Lily returned her smile. They'd arrived at Liz's house by then, and Minty the house-elf quickly ushered them to the dining table and began to serve them lunch.

"Hang on," said Lily, pausing halfway through her egg-and-tomato sandwich. "Isn't that today's _Prophet_? I didn't get a chance to read it this morning…" She grabbed the newspaper and read the headline, "'Magical Researcher Escapes Second Attempt on her Life…' Oh dear!" She began to read:

 _ **London, Aug 22**_ _: The current residence of Madam Pamela Burke from the Magical Research and Development Office, in West London, was attacked last night. According to eyewitness accounts, the house in Fulham, on the banks of the Thames, was completely blown apart. Madam Burke was apparently at home at the time; however, with extraordinary skill and courage, she managed to overpower her three attackers and escape successfully. The attackers in question managed to flee before Aurors and Hit Wizards arrived at the scene, and are currently absconding._

 _Reporters spoke to Madam Burke at a secret location late last night, and the researcher was in fine spirits. "This isn't the first time I've been attacked for the work I do. But I won't stop – that isn't how it goes with research. I will stop only after I find a solution," she declared. Rumours are rife about the kind of work carried out by Madam Burke, but one can only guess its significance if she has already been attacked twice for it._

 _Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic was quick to blame the Death Eaters for the attack. "This terrible act will not go unpunished. We will bring the perpetrators to justice soon," said Mr Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement, the parent department of the Magical Research and Development Office. Mr Crouch is working closely with the Auror Office regarding the investigation into this attack._

Below the bulletin was a picture of a witch with short, pixie-cut hair and oval-shaped glasses. She wore earrings in the shape of the crescent moon, and her thin lips, prominent chin and hooked nose gave off an overall aura of severity and hostility. "This is horrible – did you read this?" Lily asked Liz, who nodded. "Yep – she must be working on something top-secret, if You-Know-Who wants her so badly," she said, and Lily shivered. Voldemort putting a price on your head didn't seem like a very nice prospect.

"You done? We have to be at Diagon Alley in ten minutes," said Liz, and Lily nodded. "I'm almost done – let me eat in peace!"

"If I do that, we'll be here all afternoon," said Liz, her eyes twinkling wickedly. Lily chucked a little piece of bread in her direction, and Liz dodged it, grinning. "Throwing food? Tut, tut – this is what your parents taught you, Lily Evans?"

"One more comment – and I'll show you what Muhammad Ali taught me," Lily shot back, and Liz looked at her in confusion. Sighing, Lily said, "Never mind – here, I'm finished. Just give me a minute to tidy up."

A few minutes later, Liz was handing her a pinch of Floo Powder. "Just say 'Leaky Cauldron'," she said, "That's where we're meeting the boys and Marlene." Lily nodded, and Liz stepped into the fireplace. "Leaky Cauldron!" she shouted, throwing the Floo Powder in the fireplace. Emerald-green flames erupted around her immediately, and she spun rapidly out of sight. Lily hoisted the little rucksack on her shoulder, stepped into the fireplace herself and imitated Liz; she, too, began to spin uncontrollably fast, travelling through a whirl of fireplaces before –

She stopped spinning, and nearly fell over. Luckily, someone was there to catch her, and she looked up to see who it was – right into the hazel eyes of James Potter. "All right, Evans?" he asked with his trademark lopsided smile, his voice warm. She smiled back at him and said, "I thought we were using first names, James." He laughed and pulled her into a quick hug. "How have you been? Feels like _eons_ since we last met!" he said, his eyes twinkling.

"We met only a few weeks ago, and we've been writing to each other since," Lily responded, grinning wryly.

"Evans!" came a voice, and someone else pulled her into a quick hug. "Ouch – get off me – Black!" she exclaimed, extricating herself from the tall, well-built frame of Sirius Black, who grinned. "Hey – c'mon, that's partiality – you hug him and not me –"

"Well – I'm _friends_ with James now," she pointed out, smirking. Black clutched his chest in mock-hurt and said, "Ouch, that hurts! Anyway – James and I, we're a package… So, any friend of one is automatically a friend of the other!"

"Oh, in that case, I was better off not being friends with the two of you after all," Lily said mischievously, and Liz gave a shout of laughter. Lily stole a sideways glance at James, and to her surprise, his face showed dismay. "Hey – watch it, Padfoot," he began, and she quickly held up her hands. "I'm joking, James," she said soothingly, and his whole body relaxed. Really, was he so afraid that she was going to break her friendship or something – over _trifles_? She rolled her eyes, but before she could say a word, someone else came spinning out of the fireplace.

"Hi, Marlene," greeted Liz, before turning back to them. "Right, Mar's here – so, shall we?"

"Yup – let's go," said Black energetically, and the five of them set off towards the back door of the Leaky Cauldron, which was half-full of people finishing the last of their lunch. They entered the courtyard behind the pub, and Black pulled out his wand. He tapped the correct brick, and the wall simply transformed into an archway, paving their entrance into the Wizarding shopping area.

"Right," began Liz, "I need a couple of sets of robes –"

"To add to the ten you already possess," Black interrupted, and Liz elbowed him. "Butt out, Blackie – I can own as many as I want!" she said, and he smirked. "At that rate, you can open your own shop next to Madam Malkin's," he returned, and everyone laughed.

"C'mon – lay off her, Sirius," said Marlene, "We girls can buy as many robes as we want."

"All right, all right," said Black, making a gesture of surrender. "Fine – then Hunt's going to Madam Malkin's, what do the rest of you need?"

"Er – I need to go to Gringotts first, I want to exchange Muggle money for Galleons," said Lily. "My parents were so pleased with my OWL results that they gave me fifty pounds as a present –"

"Great, dinner is on Evans," Black interrupted, and the others laughed. "What I was _saying_ ," continued Lily, narrowing her eyes at Black slightly, "Is that I have to buy the sixth-year books and refill my Potions kit – plus, I too need new robes."

"Didn't you say you were going to buy dress robes?" Liz asked her, and Lily nodded. "That's right – I've never owned a set of those before, and I'm going to use my reward money on those."

"There goes our dinner," said Black with a mock-sigh, and James elbowed him. "All you think about is food," he said, and Black grinned. "Well, Pete isn't here, so someone has to take his place," he said nonchalantly.

"Right – well, all I need are the books and the Potions kit," said Marlene, and James echoed her. "OK – then, here's what we can do," said Black, "We can split up – Evans and Hunt can go and buy their robes, while James, myself and Marlene will take care of everyone's books and Potions kits before joining you at Madam Malkin's, 'coz trust me – you're going to take _that_ long."

"Too right we are," said Liz, grinning at Lily. "She needs dress robes – trust me, you don't want to buy those in a hurry."

"You know _that's_ right," said Marlene, exchanging an overhead clap with Liz. "Oh, I forgot!" she exclaimed, "I need to withdraw money, too!"

"We all do," said James, and Liz nodded. "I thought that was obvious, the first stop is always Gringotts."

"Oh – right," said Marlene, grinning in relief. "Well – c'mon, then!"

The five of them walked towards the Wizarding bank, and James fell in stride with Lily. "Where are Remus and Peter?" she asked, and he shook his head. "They're busy today. Peter and his Mum are roaming around in Manchester – and Remus's Mum is ill, so he's at home, taking care of her."

"Er – I know about Remus's –"

"No, this time his Mum's _actually_ ill," said James, grimacing. "I guess if you say it for long enough, it can happen, can't it?"

"Hey – c'mon," she said, "That's a little harsh – Remus doesn't have a bucket load of excuses for where he goes –"

"I know that! I just told him that he shouldn't make _that_ particular excuse… It's bad luck."

"Ooh, didn't peg you to be the superstitious kind, James," said Lily mischievously as they stepped into Gringotts. "I'm not," said James defensively, "Besides, it's just the 'blue' or something – he said it passes in a couple of days."

"D'you mean the 'flu'?" Lily asked, smiling. James snapped his fingers. "I _knew_ it – I knew I was messing it up –"

"OI, James! I'm not going to go into your vault – so you better get your backside over here!" Liz called, and James grinned. "Be right back – wait here with Sirius, OK?" he said, and she nodded and waved to him, Liz and Marlene as the goblin in charge began to lead them away from the marble hallway.

"So – d'you want to get your money exchanged?" Black asked, and she nodded. "I'll be just a minute," she said and began to walk to the counter, but he followed her. "No problem," he said, "I'll just come with…"

It took less than two minutes for the exchange to take place, and Lily thanked the goblin before taking a little purse full of Galleons and sitting down in the waiting area with Black. "So – how is it, living with James? Did his parents try chucking you out when they understood what a prat you actually are?" she asked him, a mischievous glint in her eye. He grinned back at her. "They love me," he said, "Once you get to know me – I'll grow on you. I'm just – irresistible."

"And also, a tad big-headed," deadpanned Lily, and his grin grew wider. "Eh, well – what're you going to do?" he asked dismissively, and she rolled her eyes. "Anyway – James told me about the whole – er, fighting with your parents and flying away thing," she said, her tone serious and gentle at the same time. "Are you OK? That would've been rough."

He waved his hand contemptuously. "They're gits, the pair of them," he said, and Lily presumed that he was referring to his parents. "They haven't got a decent bone within their bodies… Honestly, I'm better off without them. And the Potters – they took me in – just like that, no questions asked. Mrs Potter – bless her, she's so darned sweet. She really treats me like James's brother…"

"Yes – she is a sweet lady," Lily agreed delicately. Black gave her a sideways glance, his eyes dancing playfully. "Ahh – bonding with the future mother-in-law, how nice!" he said, and Lily coloured at once. "What?" she burst out, "Are you crazy?"

"No – but you are… Crazy about James, aren't you?" he retorted wickedly, and she gave him a little smack on his arm. "Watch it, Black – or I'll hex you," she said warningly, and he laughed. "Just wait and see – you and James are meant to be – wait, that rhymed!"

"Congratulations," Lily responded sarcastically. "We can expect an award from the Ministry any day now!"

"What? What award?" came a voice, as Liz and the others stood in front of them. "Who's getting an award?" asked Marlene again.

"No one," said Lily and Black at the same time, and Lily quickly sprang to her feet, a little flustered. "Shall we?" she asked Liz pointedly, and her best friend nodded. "Right – Lily has our Potions kits in her bag – so, take those and get them filled, OK? We'll reimburse you later," she addressed James, who nodded. "We'll get all our books, and meet up with you at Madam Malkin's," he replied, "And once our shopping is done, we can go to Florean Fortescue's for ice creams."

"Mmm – I like that plan," said Marlene, and Sirius nodded enthusiastically. "I'll have Evans's ice cream – she's off sugar, aren't you, Evans?" he asked, grinning at Lily. She snorted and said, "I can have some – on occasion. Besides – the one who told me to stop eating sweets turned out to be a hypocrite…" James gave her a guilty sort of look, and she gave him a cheeky smile before handing him her bag. "Thanks," she said, and he nodded and smiled back at her.

"Right, well – see you two in about thirty minutes," said Marlene, and with a wave towards them, she exited the bank, with the boys following her. "Well – c'mon, let's go and get our robes," said Liz, and the pair of them began to walk in the general direction of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

It didn't take them too long to buy their school robes; there wasn't much of a crowd at Madam Malkin's. Lily and Liz asked to see the dress robes, and were led to another little room just off the main shop. Madam Malkin's assistant began to show them several sets of robes, and Lily noted that they were like a cross between her school robes and formal Muggle dresses. They all looked very pretty, and Lily wasn't sure which colour she wanted, for there was simply too much variety; she asked for blue robes, and was promptly shown periwinkle-blue, midnight-blue, azure, Teutonic-blue, turquoise-blue, sapphire-blue, and even cobalt-blue, the same colour as Marlene's eyes.

"This is too much," she whispered to Liz, "I have no clue – _no clue_ – as to which of these shades I like the most!"

"Well – let's see," said Liz thoughtfully, "When in doubt, try them on. Just – pull them over your t-shirt and jeans, I'm sure the lady won't object." Lily nodded and obeyed, deciding to start with the midnight-blue robes. "Hmm, no – they're too dark, they don't go with your hair," said Liz, tilting her head from one side to the other. "Try another one…"

Half an hour later, Liz said thoughtfully, "You know, I don't think blue is your colour. Perhaps we should go with another one – like red or green, maybe?"

"You could've led with that!" said Lily irritably. She quickly removed the Teutonic-blue robes she'd tried on and carried them back to the assistant, who was watching them patiently. "Sorry – not these either," she said apologetically. "Could we see the green ones, please?"

"Of course," said the witch, and with a wave of her wand, replaced all the blue robes in their boxes, and Summoned a new set of boxes towards them. "Here," she said, opening each box, "I have several shades here, too – emerald-green, shamrock-green, moss-green, olive-green, chartreuse-green –"

"Great, thank you," Lily interrupted with a resigned smile. She decided to try on the moss-green robes first; putting them on, she asked Liz, "So? What d'you think?"

"Hmm – a little darker, I think," said Liz, surveying the robes critically. Turning to the assistant, she asked, "D'you have any bottle-green robes, ma'am?"

"Yes – here," said the witch, and gestured to one of the open boxes. Liz immediately gestured to Lily and said, " _These_ are the ones you should buy – I guarantee it, these will look great!"

"Er – OK," said Lily, unsure. She decided to obey her best friend, anyway, and tried on the bottle-green robes. "How do I look?" she asked nervously, and was relieved to see Liz grinning from ear-to-ear. "You look stunning!" she exclaimed. "I _told_ you – these are the robes for you! Take a look yourself!"

Lily turned to the full-length mirror to her left and let out the breath she'd been holding. Liz was right, the robes suited her like none other… They were a different shade than her emerald-green eyes, and contrasted perfectly with her dark-red hair. In fact, she was unable to believe that it was her own reflection in the mirror; she looked so beautiful!

"See – I told you," said Liz softly, standing next to her and smiling. "These are the ones for you. Just as well you're buying them now… You'll need them these Christmas holidays!"

"And why is that?" asked Lily curiously.

"Because – it's my parents' twentieth anniversary, and we're hosting a party!" said Liz enthusiastically. "I'll give you the details later, though."

"That's great!" Lily exclaimed, just as several familiar faces entered the tiny room.

"Wow, those are really pretty, Lily," Marlene gushed admiringly. "I wish I look that good in my dress robes!"

"I agree," said Black, smiling at her, "They suit you nicely!"

"You look – er, just – _wow_ , Lily," said James, beaming at her, and she returned his grin and felt a blush spreading across her cheeks. Her heart began to beat a little faster, and she quickly turned away from him. Why was this happening? _That idiot Black_ , she thought firmly. _He teased me with James this morning, and now I'm blushing in front of him. Coward_ , she mentally chastised herself before taking the robes off.

"Told you so," said Liz smugly once again, as Lily paid for the robes. "Well, I'm glad I have you – your fashion sense is better than mine; I liked the sapphire blue ones, but good thing you talked me out of those, 'coz these are way better!"

They walked out of the shop, laden with merchandise, and began to make their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour. "Blimey, this stuff is heavy," said James, as he carried three boxes of Potions ingredients. Black snorted and said, "Quit complaining, Prongs – I'm carrying so many books that I've lost count, and they're much heavier than your stupid boxes!"

"Well – we never asked you to be the beast of burden," said Marlene, smirking. "You wanted to prove you were stronger than James here, and this is the way to do that!"

"Idiotic move, Blackie," said Liz in a would-be sympathetic voice, but the playful twinkle in her eyes gave her away. Lily laughed as Black grimaced and said, "The deal was that if I carry these books to Fortescue's, James pays for my ice cream – today and the next three times we come to Diagon Alley."

"Small price to pay for not lifting the books, then," said Lily, smirking too. Black stuck his tongue out at her and said, "Oh, stuff it, you."

Soon enough, they reached the ice cream parlour, and ordered the sundaes of their choice. Lily happily licked her way through a double strawberry sundae as they settled up for the books and Potions ingredients. "I guess we're all going some classes in common," said James, "Transfiguration, Defence, Potions, Charms and Herbology…"

"Yeah, well – some of us want to go into Auror training, and those are the subjects they want," said Marlene.

"Blimey, Evans – your Arithmancy textbooks weigh a ton!" Black exclaimed, handing a copy each to Lily and Liz. "Remind me why you're taking those subjects again?"

"Because – they could be useful, and we like them," said Liz. "I wasn't sure about Arithmancy, but I did get an 'E', so I'm going to give the NEWT a try. Whew – I'm glad the Runes have the same textbook throughout the curriculum, I don't think I can lift another heavy book!"

"Drop the subject, then," said Black, and Liz snorted in a most unladylike manner. "Nah, I got an 'O' in it – why let that go to waste?"

They whiled the afternoon away, chatting about the upcoming school year and whether their academic lives would be any easier, now that they were dropping several subjects. Lily had another double strawberry sundae, and stuck her tongue out at James after he half-heartedly suggested that she'd be better off avoiding it; she reminded him that she'd be going for a run on the beach the next morning, and he seemed OK with that.

"Well, it's nearly five-thirty… Shall we get going?" Marlene said after a while, glancing at her watch. "Yeah – my parents would be home by now," said Liz, standing up. The others imitated her, and James said, "Oh, by the way, did you read about that Ministry Researcher? Pamela something? Odd, isn't it?"

"Yup," said Lily thoughtfully, "She must be working on something really –"

But the rest of her words were drowned out by a huge explosion. Lily dropped the bag she was holding, just as Florean Fortescue came running of his shop. "What was that?" he asked them worriedly, and James shouted, "Hang on, you lot – I'll check it out! C'mon, Padfoot!"

The boys shot off in the direction of the noise of the explosion and people screaming; Lily noted a column of smoke rising above a building. "That building's on fire!" she exclaimed, and whipped out her wand. Liz and Marlene imitated her, and Liz addressed Florean, "Mr Fortescue, could you please notify the Ministry? We'll just check out what's going on – please watch our bags!"

"I'm on it – I'll come and help in a minute, just stay out of trouble!" Florean shouted, and ran off, presumably towards the Leaky Cauldron. Lily and the others stepped out onto the street just as James and Black came running back to them. "The Apothecary – it's on fire!" Black exclaimed urgently. "And there're people trapped inside!"

"Oh no! What now?" Marlene asked, her eyes wide.

"We help," said James tersely. "From what we saw, the attackers have a makeshift shield of several dustbins piled on top of each other – people are mostly running away, but when we ran back to get you, I saw two blokes trying to help –"

"Fortescue's calling the Ministry – c'mon, let's go!" Liz exclaimed, and they all began to run back towards the Apothecary. They stopped about a hundred yards away, and scouted their surroundings; the people inside the Apothecary were flocking near the windows, screaming for help. Lily wondered why they weren't simply blasting their way out, before realizing that the attackers had probably Summoned their victims' wands. Shaking her head, she asked, "OK – what's the plan?"

"I'm going to help the people trapped in there," said Black at once. "You distract them, James!"

"I'll come with you, Blackie," said Liz, and there passed a grim look of understanding between her and Black. "All right – there's a window on the side there, out of view of the attackers," said Black, pointing. "Maybe we can use that to help those people."

"Good plan," agreed Liz. "We'll go as soon as you three somehow distract those goons."

Lily surveyed the jets of light, the smoke coming out of the building, the panicked crowd of shoppers running helter-skelter, and the wall of five dustbins shielding the perpetrators of the mayhem from view. She glanced at her companions and asked fretfully, "Well – we're going to have to come up with something quickly – who knows how long the Ministry will take to get here."

"Don't worry, Lily," said James reassuringly. "I have a plan."

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	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews, ShashankRaj, CB and AnnaMT. Cheers!

 **ShashankRaj:** Haha, that's flattering! I'm sorry – if you want a large number of chapters in a small time frame, you'll have to wait like three months for me to write four or five chapters… I guess this is better, then. :-P

 **CB:** Hey, you're back! Here you go – next chapter's up!

 **AnnaMT** : Totally! Bloody Gryffindors – never heard the phrase 'Better safe than sorry', I suppose!

Hello everyone, here is chapter four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Four**

" **The best way to learn a subject is to teach it."**

" _You_ have a plan?" repeated Marlene, her eyebrows raised. James grinned. "Yep," he said confidently, and Marlene shook her head. "That's what I'm afraid of," she said, a little tensely.

"Don't worry – it's going to work," said James firmly, as more people ran past them. He looked left and right before turning to face them all. "Right – I'm going to get as close as I can to those dustbins, and try to blow them open or something. Those goons won't be able to defend themselves until it's too late!"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Lily, shaking her head, "That's just stupid! Are you telling me you're going to run _right_ towards the dustbins? You're just going to get hurt!"

"I'll be Disillusioned, Lily," said James impatiently, and she drew in a sharp breath. An embarrassed smile came to her face; she had disregarded that possibility. "All right, then – I can take care of that," she said, and James grinned. "Right – I'm going to run straight ahead – Lily, Marlene, cover me, OK? Once I'm close, I'll blast those dustbins – then, Sirius, Liz, proceed towards the people trapped inside. Got that?"

"Understood," said Liz, nodding.

"And while they're doing the rescuing, Lily and I will assist you, James," said Marlene, and Lily nodded in agreement. James nodded and grinned before raising his wand. "No – let me," said Lily at once, and raised her wand. " _Pellucidus!_ " she whispered, tapping him on the shoulder with her wand; a second later, he almost vanished from view, courtesy of her powerful Disillusionment Charm.

"Wow – nice one, Evans," said Black admiringly. Lily smiled thinly and said, "I've been practising…"

"Right – you all ready?" came James's disembodied voice, as more screams rent the air; the attackers had clearly upped the ante. "I'm going in – cover me!" added James, and (presumably) set off towards the dustbins. However, to their shock, he suddenly reappeared two seconds later – it looked like the Disillusionment Charm had worn off.

"No! Help me, Mar!" Lily yelled, just as a jet of yellow light flew towards James; Lily quickly countered it with a Stunner which deflected the spell. James kept running ahead, and Lily and Marlene set off in hot pursuit, shielding him from the jets of light that flew in his direction. _My word, he's crazy!_ Lily thought frantically as she ran. _He's just running headlong into danger! And how did the Disillusionment Charm come off? Do the attackers have a protective barrier that can remove it?_ She kept using the Shield Charm again and again, protecting him – just as Marlene shouted, " _Protego!_ " too, extending her own Shield Charm to cover them both.

" _Wildschweinus!_ " James screamed, and to Lily's great surprise, one of the dustbins suddenly transformed into a – wild boar, of all things. The goons recoiled in surprise, as the angry beast reared its head and gorged the closest thug with its tusks. Taking advantage of their distraction, James shot a Stunner at them, but it missed – there was a jet of green light instead, and the wild boar fell to the ground heavily, dead.

" _Diffindo!_ " yelled Lily, and a couple of the dustbins were sliced in half. " _Reducto!_ " Marlene shouted, and the remaining dustbins were reduced to pieces. Their protection gone, the thugs began to rain spells upon Lily, Marlene and James, who managed to block or deflect all the jets of light. " _Stup –_ " Lily screamed, but was forced to dodge a jet of blue light that came her way. _Dammit – I can't get a clear shot!_ she thought in frustration. She hated being reduced to defending herself, but the attackers were too skilled to let up, and she could feel themselves being overpowered. However, to her relief, she could hear footsteps behind her, and understood – more witches and wizards were coming to their aid.

"No, heads up, James!" she shouted as three jets of light headed his way. She cast a Shield Charm to protect him; it worked, but she was thrown off-balance by the force of the spells. She fell backwards and hit her head on the cobbled street. "Ow," she moaned dizzily, just as James called out, "No – Lily!"

"'M'OK," she groaned, trying to get up, but the world swirled around her once again, and she closed her eyes and let out another soft groan. She could feel someone shaking her shoulder, as an unfamiliar voice yelled, "Look – Aurors!"

"Enough – let's go!" another uncouth voice snarled, and Lily opened her eyes just in time to see three hooded figures vanish into thin air. _No, they got away!_ she thought angrily, but there was nothing that could be done…

"Lily!" came Marlene's worried voice. "Lily – you OK? Say something!"

"I'm fine," she managed to whisper, before trying to sit up. "Easy there," said James, and he supported her as she slowly pulled herself upright. Around her, smoke still rose from the Apothecary, but there were several witches and wizards who were trying to put out the fire.

Her hand was still on James's shoulders, and his other arm was wrapped around her firmly as they walked ahead slowly towards the half-burnt Apothecary. Lily felt grateful and embarrassed at the same time due to James's support, but she let him half-lead, half-carry her with him as Liz and Sirius came into view.

"Lily!" Liz exclaimed at once, "Blimey, you're bleeding!" She immediately pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket, and pressed it on Lily's forehead. The slight wetness of the kerchief made Lily realize dully that she was indeed bleeding; she'd cut herself when her head had hit the ground.

Black gave her a concerned glance before saying, "Nicely done – when you three set off, Hunt and I sneaked towards the back window and blasted it open. People came out one by one, and Hunt Summoned their wands – some of them joined you, as did some other shoppers. Then the Aurors arrived – Fortescue came through for us!"

Just then, the man in question came running up to them. "I _told_ you to stay out of trouble!" he exclaimed, before glancing at Lily's forehead. "Wait – let me take care of that," he said; pulling out his wand, he tapped Lily's forehead and whispered, " _Episkey._ " The cut healed at once, and Lily noted to her relief that her forehead felt unblemished and whole once more. "Thanks, Mr Fortescue!" she said gratefully, and the man nodded at her briefly.

"C'mon, Florean – they were attacking people, we couldn't just sit around!" James reasoned. He was still supporting Lily; realizing that she could stand steadily now, she said awkwardly, "Er – thanks, James – I think I'm OK now." He nodded and withdrew his hand, and she stepped away from him before swaying on the spot immediately. "Still a bit woozy," she admitted, steadying herself.

"Thought I'd find you here," came a familiar voice, and Lily and the others swung around to find Mr Potter standing there. "Dad!" James exclaimed, and Mr Potter gave him a tired sort of smile. "Why," he began with an air of resignation, "Is it that I find you all _wherever_ there's trouble?"

"Er – bad timing?" suggested Black, and they all smiled nervously. Mr Potter shook his head and asked, "What happened? A couple of blokes over there said that they saw three teenagers running right at the villains responsible for this mess – so, tell me, _what were you thinking?_ "

The last few words came out with a fair bit of fury, and Lily saw James shrink back slightly. "Er – well – you see, Dad, those goons had barricaded themselves behind those big dustbins –"

"They set the Apothecary on fire," Black interrupted earnestly. Together, the five of them narrated what had happened briefly, as Mr Potter's eyes narrowed more and more. He appeared to debate internally whether to reprimand them before asking, "And why is there a – _wild boar_ next to the dustbins?"

"That was me – I Transfigured one of the dustbins to distract them," said James, grinning rather proudly. "Worked well, didn't it?"

"Yep," said Lily, and Marlene nodded fervently. "Nice move," she said admiringly, and James's smile widened. "I figured we could use some pork chops for dinner after the battle," he remarked dryly. Lily rolled her eyes but chose not to wisecrack as the others guffawed.

Mr Potter remained unamused, however. "Look – I know you're fancying yourselves as soldiers – rescuers – heroes, of some sort," he said disapprovingly, "But listen to me – this is serious business. If something like this happens around you, you need to get out of there – and you need to contact the authorities. Is that understood?" The force in his voice was unmistakeable, and they all nodded meekly. Lily noted that James was looking rather mutinous, but there was no doubt: Mr Potter had a point, perhaps they should've stayed out of the way.

"We managed to stop them," James said sullenly, and Mr Potter shook his head. "You're lucky you didn't get killed," he said bluntly. "These people are dangerous and unpredictable – leave this to the professionals. And that goes for the rest of you, as well," he added, surveying the group as a whole, and they all nodded once again.

There was a silence, but Mr Potter broke it. "That being said, it was extremely brave of you to try and help," he said. Lily caught the note of pride in his voice and her heart lightened at once. "I will never forget what you did for us a few months ago," Mr Potter continued, "But please – _please_ , try to stay out of trouble. These are dark and dangerous times, and schoolchildren like you all should stay safe, not charge headlong into trouble like this."

"We understand," said James. "We were just trying to –"

"I _know_ , son," Mr Potter cut across him swiftly, his tone proud and exasperated at the same time. "Now – go home, all of you – before people start getting worried."

"Er – Mr Potter," Lily began uncertainly, as familiar fears took a hold of her once again. "Er – we did magic outside of –"

"I'll take care of it, dear," the older man said kindly, and Lily relaxed at once. "Thank you," she said gratefully, and he nodded. "Right – now, back to the Leaky Cauldron, all of you – and don't forget your things," he said, and Lily recognized the dismissal. With a final wave at him, the little group proceeded to Florean Fortescue's took their bags, and began to trudge towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"He could've been more grateful," grumbled James as they walked through the archway that connected Diagon Alley to the Leaky Cauldron. "But no-o-o, we just get scolded –"

"He had a point," Lily countered, "And he's right – didn't you notice, those goons nearly overpowered us? I couldn't fire a single attacking spell!"

"That's because you were busy protecting James," said Marlene, with a barely concealed note of amusement in her voice. Lily blushed and said with discomfort, "Well – _someone_ had to! He's clearly thick enough to not do it himself!"

"Ah, I always knew you had my back, Evans," said James, with a familiar cocky grin as he slung an arm across her shoulders. She shook him off and said reprovingly, "Not a laughing matter, you prat! Thank God they didn't fire a Killing Curse at you, there's no defence against it!"

"Don't worry – James would've just dived out of the way," said Liz reasonably, also smirking. "In any case, he could attack because he had you protecting him –"

Lily's embarrassed retort was lost as everyone else guffawed, and she could feel her cheeks flaming. Really, teasing her with James – _in front of him_ , that too? She shook her head and tried to look as dignified as possible as they passed Tom the barman and stood in front of the fireplace.

"Right – well, fun day," said James, "See you on September the First!"

"Yep," said Liz, and a round of hugs and goodbyes followed. James pulled Lily into a tight embrace and whispered, "Thank you, Evans – I'm glad you have my back." Lily grinned despite herself and said softly, "Count on it." They broke apart, and the boys waved at the girls one last time before stepping into the fireplace and vanishing.

Lily immediately rounded on Liz and Marlene. "Really?" she said, her tone laced with annoyance, as her friends smirked. "How immature! Why're you teasing me with James?"

"Because it's fun," said Marlene, but Liz went a step further. "Because something's going to happen between the two of you – where there's smoke, there's fire, Lily!" she said mischievously.

"Why would anything happen?" Lily asked in confusion. "James and I became friends just a couple of months ago! We barely even know each other!"

"You know each other _enough_ ," Liz responded, her sea-green eyes dancing with mischief, as Marlene began to laugh again. "It would be great if you did get together with James," her best friend added, "You two would make a very cute couple!"

"And you'd have such pretty children! I mean, James is definitely good-looking –"

"C'mon, so is she! Just imagine – when they have a girl, and when she grows up to this age – my God, boys would be queuing up for her!"

"And if it's a boy – his hair will turn red every time he gets angry – ooh, wouldn't that be funny?" Marlene said, and Liz snorted with laughter. "If he has his Mum's temper, his hair will permanently be red," she said wickedly.

"All right – enough," Lily said with as much dignity she could muster, but failing horribly. "If you're done planning my marriage – let's go home, shall we?"

"As you wish," said Liz, who was still laughing. Turning to Marlene, she asked, "Come over, Mar?"

"Nah, can't – Allan's coming around for dinner tonight," said Marlene, before looking at her watch and letting out a loud exclamation. "Oh, no! I was supposed to help! I hope Mum's not back yet – or else she's going to be livid!" She waved a quick goodbye to them before stepping into the fireplace and spinning out of sight.

"Well, let's go, then," said Liz, and Lily nodded. Within seconds, they were back in Liz's living room. They headed upstairs to dump their stuff, before taking quick baths to clean themselves up. Finally, after dinner (and an account of the day's events that culminated in another admonishment from Liz's parents), they settled down comfortably on Liz's bed.

"So – James," said Liz promptly, and Lily made a face. "Ugh, enough – let's talk about you and _Blackie_ instead!" She winked suggestively at Liz, and was satisfied to see a faint tinge of colour on her best friend's cheeks. She swept her long blonde hair back before saying, "There's nothing to talk about!"

"I think there is," said Lily, smirking like a Cheshire Cat. "I know you still like him, and you're not doing anything about it out of respect for Marlene, but when she's given you her blessing herself –"

"I still don't know how I feel!" Liz burst out.

"Liar," said Lily, her smirk widening. "I saw how you were looking at him during our DADA OWL –"

"Rubbish! I was nowhere near him!"

"You were right behind him, and when you'd finished writing, you just stared at him with such longing that –"

"No, I didn't!"

"And today – when he was praising you for your quick thinking with the Summoning Charm – it looked like you were two seconds away from jumping into his arms –"

"Rubbish!" Liz exclaimed again, and Lily laughed openly. Liz slammed a pillow in her face, and Lily gave another shout of laughter before retaliating in kind. A pillow-fight of sorts ensued, until finally, Lily had the upper hand; she held both pillows against a defenceless Liz and said triumphantly, "Admit it – you like him, and you'd like nothing more than have a good snog with ol' Sirius Black!"

"Never!" exclaimed Liz stubbornly, and was promptly whacked in her face with a pillow. "What's the –" she started to say, but Lily whacked her with a pillow again. "Admit it!" she said, smiling widely.

"OK, OK! I like him – happy?" Liz said, holding up her hands in surrender, her face flushed. Lily grinned and said, "Considerably." Liz rolled her eyes before laying back down on her bed, and Lily followed suit.

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked with a sideways glance at Liz, who shrugged. "I dunno," she said uncertainly, "What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"He does," said Lily confidently, and Liz turned to her swiftly. "What makes you say that?" she asked, her tone doubtful yet eager at the same time. Lily wrinkled her forehead and pondered. "Nothing concrete, I suppose," she said finally, and Liz shrank back in disappointment. "But just the way he looks at you – I think he likes you, too. It's a feeling," she added.

"I dunno," said Liz again. Lily squeezed her shoulder affectionately and said, "Well – the best way to find out is to take a chance. Who knows?"

"I guess," replied Liz, with a small smile. "We'll see…"

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The rest of Lily's holiday passed without incident, and she returned home on the thirtieth of August to spend some time with her parents before she left for Hogwarts. She was going to go back to Liz's on September the First, with her trunk this time, and they would be going to King's Cross together.

With Petunia absent, Lily had a much easier time at home, laughing and talking with her parents as she went over a final check on her trunk. The night before she left, they all had dinner, and through her parents' prodding, Lily briefly narrated what had transpired between her and Petunia a few days ago. Her parents were naturally distressed (even when she concealed what Petunia had said about being the second-favourite child), but assured her that one day, her sister would come around. Lily had given them a sceptical sort of smile before not saying anything more on the subject.

Finally, September the First arrived. Lily was quite excited to be starting her sixth year, and made her way to Liz's after an affectionate goodbye to her parents, assuring them that she'd be seeing them on Christmas. "I didn't know you could Floo directly to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters," said Lily, as Liz handed her a pinch of Floo Powder. Liz gave her a confused look and said, "Well – you can't! Blimey, just as well you asked me now – we're going to the Leaky Cauldron, and from there we can go to King's Cross – either we walk, or take the Muggle Underground. That's how I go there every year."

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. She had never really wondered how Liz travelled to London; she'd simply assumed that it was by magic… Well it is, she thought wryly. Just not how I thought it would be…

About an hour later, Lily and Liz were walking through the enchanted barrier at King's Cross, pushing their trunks (mounted on trolleys) ahead of them. The sight of the familiar scarlet steam engine sent a leap of excitement through Lily. It was time to go back…

"Well – shall we find a compartment?" Liz asked her, and she nodded. "It has to be quick – I need to go to the Prefects' compartment," she replied.

"Ooh, Little Miss Prissy, the Perfect Prefect," said Liz mockingly, and Lily gave her a little punch on the arm. "At least I'm not leaving you to carry my trunk," she said, and Liz grinned. "I'd sooner leave it on the platform," she teased, and Lily contented herself with a shake of her head. "Some friend you are," she said, and Liz's smile grew wider. "I try," she said, a little loftily, and Lily rolled her eyes before following her best friend onto the train.

They stowed their trunks into an empty compartment, and Lily pressed the sleeping Cavana's cage into Liz's hands. "Watch her – I'll be back by lunchtime," she said, before changing into her robes quickly, and setting off towards the Prefects' compartment. She didn't want to be late, so she broke into a jog, stopping only when she bumped into someone who had just exited the compartment on her left.

"Oh, sorry," she murmured quickly, stepping back; the boy turned, and Lily felt a strange rush of anger and dislike. It was a completely foreign feeling – she only remembered that emotion when she'd ever come across Mulciber or Avery. Well, it wasn't Mulciber this time – it was Severus.

"Er – hi, Lily," he said bravely, after an awkward pause. "Had a good summer?"

Lily shook her head and tried to shove past him, but he grabbed her hand. "Please – please, talk to me," he pleaded, but she angrily shook him off. Shooting him a look of pure fury, she snapped, "I'd rather eat Hippogriff dung." She marched ahead with her nose in the air, aware that he was following her and mumbling something – but she didn't pay him any attention.

"Remus!" she greeted her friend as soon as she entered the Prefects' compartment, ignoring her former friend who was still right behind her. The brown-haired boy grinned and said, "'Morning, Lily – quite an adventure you lot had in Diagon Alley, didn't you?"

"Yup," she responded, glad for the distraction. She began to relate it to Remus softly, and out of the corner of her eye, spotted Severus sit some distance away, shooting them glances that alternated between furious and resentful. She determinedly avoided eye contact with him, greeting the other Prefects instead as they filed into the compartment one by one. Finally, the Head students arrived, and Lily drew in a sharp breath; the Head Boy was none other than Kevin Bell, Liz's ex-boyfriend. Up close, he looked even more handsome. The Head Girl was a medium-heighted, dark-haired witch with an expressionless sort of face and a prominent chin.

"Welcome," Kevin said cheerfully. "My name's Kevin Bell, and this is Natalie Sutton – we're your Head Students this year. How about – we start off by introducing ourselves, so that the new Prefects know who the rest of us are." They all obeyed, and the Head students followed the introductions with the usual – patrol timetables, Prefect duties, and a reminder that Prefects could only dock points from their own Houses.

Severus lingered outside the compartment after the meeting, but Lily waited for everyone else but Remus to leave before standing up herself; she simply ignored him and marched smartly past him with Remus in tow. She nodded to the other sixth-year Slytherin Prefect, Ashley Bond, who was standing a little way up the corridor, staring outside the window and clearly lost in thought. As she noticed Lily, however, the dark-haired girl said pleasantly, "Hello, Lily – good summer?"

"Yep – not bad," she replied politely. She liked Ashley; they'd worked together on a Potion once, and Ashley's sarcastic sense of humour was remarkably similar to Lily's own. Lily supposed that she was the only Slytherin in their year who didn't mind being associated with Muggle-borns; on a better day, she would've counted Severus in that bracket, but that wasn't the case anymore.

"How was your summer?" she continued, and Ashley gave her a small smile that didn't reach her light-blue eyes. "It was OK," was all she said, before stealing a glance to somewhere behind Lily. "Still not talking to Snape, are you?" she added in an undertone, and Lily felt a rush of anger. "No," she whispered aggressively, and Ashley grinned. "I don't blame you," she said softly, "That git brought it upon himself." Her gaze turned towards Remus, and she said, "I don't think we've met – Ashley Bond."

"Remus Lupin," said Remus, shaking the offered hand; Lily noted that his eyebrows were raised, and his voice carried a note of surprise. "Ah, yes – awfully good at Defence, aren't you?" Ashley asked, and Remus gave her a slight smile. "Lily's better," he said, with a sideways glance at her, and Ashley grinned. "Lily's better at almost everything," she said, "Tell me, Lily – how many O's did you get on your OWLs?"

"Er – six," said Lily, blushing a little. Ashley's grin widened, and she turned back to Remus and said, "Like I said, better at almost everything. You should be _teaching_ the Slytherin dunderheads in our year –"

"How many O's did _you_ get?" Lily cut across her swiftly, not wanting to hear any more praise. Ashley chuckled a little and said, "Six."

"Then you must be praising me to imply that you're frightfully intelligent," Lily said dryly, and Remus snorted. Ashley's smile widened, and she responded, "Perhaps." She didn't say anything more, however, continuing to smile instead before averting her eyes. Lily noted the change in her behaviour from before; she wasn't particularly interested in making conversation, and her smile seemed forced. Indeed, there were worry lines clearly etched on her face.

"Er – Ashley? Is everything all right?" Lily asked tentatively, and Ashley seemed to snap out of her reverie. "Yes, of course," she said quickly, too quickly in Lily's opinion. She averted her eyes again, and to Lily's shock, they'd filled with sudden tears.

She signalled for Remus to go ahead, and her friend wrinkled his forehead before obeying and leaving. Lily placed a comforting hand on Ashley's shoulder, and said gently, "What is it, Ashley?" That little act of kindness from Lily was enough for the other girl to let out a little sob, and Lily hugged her and stroked her back comfortingly as Ashley broke down completely. Finally, after a few seconds, she drew back and gave an embarrassed little sniff.

"Sorry – didn't mean to do that," she said thickly, "I – I'll see you around, then…"

But before she could walk off, Lily grabbed her hand. "You're not going anywhere," she said softly, her voice firm. "Tell me what the problem is – perhaps I can help you!"

"No one can help me," said Ashley, with another sad sniff, "It's done…"

At that moment, a girl with brown hair came up to them. "Ash?" she asked, concerned, "What happened, Ash?" She rounded on Lily and asked rather rudely, "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" Lily said, stepping back defensively. She had recognized Brenda Hastings, another Slytherin sixth-year and apparently, a friend of Ashley's. "She just started crying, and I was trying to help –"

"We don't need your help," said Brenda loftily, and slung an arm around Ashley's shoulders. "C'mon, Ash – let's go… I've got some Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs, that'll cheer you up!" she said to her friend, who remained static.

"She was trying to help, Bren," Ashley said thickly. "And perhaps she can…" Turning to Lily, she added, "Follow us to our compartment, and I'll tell you."

Intrigued, Lily obeyed at once, and silently followed Ashley and a reluctant Brenda into their compartment. There was another girl sitting there, with dark-blonde hair and blue eyes, who rose as they entered. She cast a suspicious glance at Lily, who gave her a tentative sort of smile that was merely met with a hostile look.

Everyone sat down, and Ashley said, "Look – I need your help, OK? I know that you know James Potter, Liz Huntington and Marlene McKinnon…"

"I do," said Lily, nonplussed. "But what –"

"Their parents work at the Ministry," Ashley interrupted. "They might know something – _anything_ that can be done."

"About what?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. Ashley closed her eyes as though steeling herself, before opening them again and locking her light-blue gaze onto Lily's emerald-green one. "D'you remember me telling you once that my father – he's a Hit Wizard?"

"Yes," said Lily.

"Well – there was a raid, and he – he –" Ashley let out another strangled sob, and her friends tried to comfort her. "He was one of the people that got injured," Brenda supplied to Lily in an undertone. "Mr Bond is in St Mungo's – unconscious, and getting worse day by day."

"They don't know what's wrong with him, other than he was exposed to some kind of poison," the girl with dark-blonde hair said. "They're trying to figure it out, though…"

Ashley surfaced, wiping her eyes. "Apparently, the Ministry was working on poison antidotes – Felicity here thinks it was under the initiative of that Researcher, Madam Burke," she said, with a sideways glance at the girl with brown-blonde hair. "Her Dad heard a rumour like that – Regardless of whether it's true, that research was affected – because Madam Burke was attacked… Twice! Apparently, she's in hiding now – and no one can help my Dad!" A fresh wave of tears came to her eyes, and she covered her face again.

"Er – I'll talk to James and Liz and Marlene," said Lily firmly. "Don't worry – I'll see if they can help you…"

"The Ministry – they're just a bunch of prissy, arrogant people in spick-and-span robes who couldn't give a rat's fart about the people who do all the important work – Aurors, Hit Wizards and the like," said Ashley savagely. "No wonder more and more people are joining You-Know-Who – with the Ministry's attitude like this, no one thinks we can win the war!"

A heavy silence followed this ominous outburst. Lily frowned; she didn't particularly have much of respect for the Ministry, but if they didn't treat their injured and fallen employees better, she could sort of see Ashley's point. She stood up; giving Ashley's shoulder a gentle squeeze, she said softly, "Don't worry – I'll see what I can do. Maybe they can help, put more pressure on the Ministry internally…"

Ashley smiled wetly. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "I appreciate it…"

"You're welcome," said Lily, returning her smile. With a nod to the other two Slytherins, who looked less suspicious and somewhat friendlier, she exited the compartment and began to walk back to her own, deep in thought.

So, poison was being used as a weapon by the Death Eaters. Well, that was bad news… _As if the damage from attacks wasn't enough_ , she thought acidly. Muggles and Muggleborns were being targeted, and there had been a substantial number of deaths over the past few years. So, why would they be using poison now?

The answer came to her soon enough. If they had access to some kind of unknown poison, they could simply expose their targets to it, and watch them die slowly and painfully. The Avada Kedavra Curse was a powerful tool for killing, but it wasn't infallible… True, there wasn't a direct defence against it, but it could be dodged, and if one was quick enough to Summon something in the way of the Curse, one would be safe. But as for unknown poisons…

 _This is just another way to spread terror and fear amongst the masses_ , she thought. _An unknown danger is much harder to face than a known enemy…_ And to face an unidentified poison was a deadly prospect. She marvelled at the weapons the Death Eaters had in their arsenal. Really, was this it? Couldn't they be stopped at all?

"Hello," she greeted her friends dully as soon as she entered their compartment. There were now several people in there aside from Liz and Marlene; Mary and the Marauders were also present. By the looks of it, everyone had just finished lunch, and seemed to be engaged in swapping Chocolate Frog Cards.

"Hey," said Liz, "Where were you? Were you walking the new Prefects through their duties, as well?" She laughed at her own joke, and some of the others chuckled, too. Lily smiled as James gave her a quick hug, before exchanging pleasantries with the others; she sat down next to Mary and hungrily unwrapped a Cauldron Cake. "Ha, ha… Funny," she said to Liz, "I met a few people." She didn't elaborate, but something in her voice probably gave her away, because Liz asked, "What happened? Everything OK?"

Sighing, Lily related what had transpired between her and Ashley Bond. She finished by saying, "She specifically asked me if I could talk to you – to ask you to speak to your parents, Liz and Marlene – and you too, James." She spared him a sideways glance. "She wants to know if your parents know anything about this new poison – 'coz St Mungo's has told her and her Mum that it's definitely a poison, something that they have still failed to identify."

There was an ominous silence, before James broke it. To her surprise, his hazel eyes carried no warmth as he asked, "Are you sure she was telling the truth, Lily? What if she's looking for information?"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked curiously. He sighed and said, "Look – her Dad may be in St Mungo's, but perhaps for some other reason. For all we know, he may even be secretly working for Voldemort and the Death Eaters – to see what we know about this new poison that they've been using as a weapon."

"Er – don't you think that's a little far-fetched, James?" Lily asked impatiently, and Marlene sided with her at once. "I agree," she said, "She was _crying_ , James – Lily told us she seemed distraught."

"Mark my words – these slimy Slytherins can't be trusted," said Black, shaking his head and coming to his best friend's defence. "Lily here trusted Snivellus – and we all know how that turned out."

There was a deadly silence in the compartment. Everyone looked from Lily to Black, as though unsure how to react; Lily herself gave him a scorching glare, and he averted his eyes. _I cannot_ believe _he brought that up_ , she thought furiously. But before she could say anything, James gave Black a light smack on his head. "That's irrelevant – focus on Bond, Padfoot," he said evenly.

Lily's anger evaporated almost instantly. This had been a golden opportunity for James Potter to bad-mouth Severus Snape – and, to her astonishment, he had passed it up. _Unbelievable_ , she thought. There could only be one explanation for this – James valued their incipient friendship, and he didn't want to do anything that could damage it. She gave him a gratified nod and continued, "My _point_ , Black – is that every case is different." Turning to James, she added, "Why do you think she could be faking it?"

"Because," he said slowly, "I heard my parents talking about this stuff recently. They said that St Mungo's had three cases of Aurors showing up with unexplained symptoms, and they'd just recently concluded that it was a poison of some sort. We don't know what it is – though rumour has it that the Burke lady – who was targeted twice in the past couple of months – is the one who is working on the antidote."

"That would explain why she was targeted," Marlene said thoughtfully. "She's in hiding, isn't she?"

"Yep," said Mary. "I can sort of see James's point – if Ashley Bond's father is really an agent for the Dark Side, it would help them understand how much progress has been made with the antidote."

"He's a Hit Wizard, for Heaven's sake!" Lily exclaimed. "He's on _our_ side!"

"Could be a double agent – you never know!" James responded stubbornly. "All I'm saying is, we need to be careful about who we trust."

Lily turned to Liz for support. "C'mon, Liz – you've worked with her, she's OK, right?"

Liz considered before saying carefully, "Yes – she seems OK to me… But you never know. People can be good actors, and her apparent distress could've simply been for your benefit."

Lily shook her head; clearly, convincing her friends to help wasn't working out as well as she'd thought. She racked her brains to try a different tack – but it was the hitherto silent Peter who spoke.

"I think we can have a compromise, of sorts," he said, a little nervously, shrinking back as all eyes turned to him; however, he raised his chin determinedly and continued, "Say, for now, your parents _do_ make inquiries – and get back to you. It really is up to _us_ , how much we want to tell that Bond girl, isn't it?" There was a pause as everyone mulled over this, and Peter ploughed on, "You can even ask your parents if they think her Dad is on our side – or some kind of spy. It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?"

"A simple and surprisingly elegant solution, mate," said James, clapping the fat boy on the back. Peter went pink with pleasure, and Lily gave him a cheerful smile and said, "You're right, Peter! So, it's settled then, right?" She gave Marlene, Liz and James hopeful glances, and to her relief, they all nodded.

"Fair enough," said Liz. "We can ask them what they think – then see what can be done."

Lily smiled triumphantly, glad that Peter's suggestion had been accepted. Perhaps there was more to this than what met the eye… It didn't seem like an open-and-shut issue. What was clear, though, was the fact that the new poison was dangerous and potent, and unfortunately, still unidentified. The person who had apparently been working on the antidote was targeted by Death Eaters, which indicated her competence and abilities. Perhaps the Dark Side was afraid that she would succeed, and that the antidote would seriously hamper their plans to wreak new havoc on Britain's Wizarding population… She frowned. Had the attack on the Apothecary a few days ago been an amateurish attempt to prevent the researcher from obtaining new ingredients? She shook her head; if that was the case, the attackers had to be really naïve… Didn't they understand that there were so many better places to procure Potions ingredients?

The rest of the journey passed enjoyably, with games of Exploding Snap, more food, and a healthy discussion on the NEWTs that they'd be taking. Peter was still fretting over whether he'd be allowed to take Potions and Herbology… He had A's in those subjects, and he wasn't sure Professors Slughorn and Sprout would allow him to continue.

"I only got an 'E' in Charms because of you, Lily," he said, giving her a sad smile. "An 'E' in Defence and an 'O' in Transfiguration – that's it. I have an 'A' in all other subjects, and I failed History and Divination."

"Nobody cares about those two subjects, Pete," said Black dismissively.

"I think Slughorn and Sprout may allow you to continue, Pete – if you promise to study remedial Potions or Herbology," said Lily reassuringly. "In fact, I'm ready to help you with Potions – perhaps in our first class, I'll talk to Slughorn and ask if that can be done. Yes – I'll do that," she added resolutely.

The fat boy's face lit up at once. "You'd do that?" he asked her, smiling hopefully. She smiled back at him and ruffled his hair. "Sure, why not?" she said cheerfully. "The best way to learn a subject is to teach it."

"You've inspired me, Evans," said Black. "Pete – I'll give you a hand with Herbology, mate. And if I run out of patience, Mary can take over, right, Mary?" Mary smiled and nodded. Peter was now smiling so widely that his eyes were crinkled to slits. "Thanks!" was all he said, though. Lily gave him an encouraging grin before staring out of the window.

"I can see Hogwarts," she said, and at her words, the boys stood up. "We'll see you later – after we change," said James, and with smiles and waves, the Marauders exited their compartment. "I wonder how they can be so far away from their luggage for this long," Marlene commented. "I can't do it!"

"Why, are you worried someone's going to open your trunk and see your teddy-bear knickers?" Liz asked her, a wicked glint in her sea-green eyes. Lily and Mary giggled as Marlene went beetroot red. "Shut up about Mr Whiskers!" she said, furious and embarrassed at the same time, and the other girls laughed even more uncontrollably. Marlene threw them all a disgusted glance before changing into her robes.

The train came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station, and Lily, as a Prefect, supervised the students getting off the train and directed the first-years towards Hagrid the gamekeeper, who was calling them towards him. She waved at the huge man, and he returned her greeting with great enthusiasm before shepherding the older students towards the hundred or so horseless carriages that were waiting near the station. Finally, she found Remus as the crowd thinned. "Let's get going, then," she said, clutching Cavana's cage to her. The owl was now awake, and Lily immediately released her. "Had a good nap, girl?" she cooed, and the owl gave a little hoot of satisfaction. "Wait a few minutes – you can go to the Owlery once we're within the gates."

They were joined by a few more students, and the carriage set off. The dark silhouette of the castle came closer and closer, and Lily exchanged a happy smile with Remus. It was her second home…

They alighted from the carriage, and Lily released Cavana at once before proceeding to Banish the cage to her dormitory. She made her way with Remus towards the Great Hall, thinking contentedly about the start-of-term banquet; the Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties seemed ages ago, and she was quite hungry.

As she sat down, she glanced at the teachers' table. With Redbeard having (presumably) returned to field work at the Auror Office, the DADA teacher post was vacant once again. Lily came across a new face at the table, and drew in a sharp breath as she recognized the witch with pixie-cut strawberry blonde hair and oval-shaped glasses… _It's Pamela Burke, the Magical Researcher!_ she thought excitedly, but before she could say anything, Professor McGonagall arrived with the line of first-years and the Sorting Hat, and all chatter died at once.

After the Sorting ceremony (and the addition of about ten new Gryffindors), Professor Dumbledore stood up and announced, "Let the feast begin!" Lily gave a happy sigh as food magically appeared in the plates on the table, before helping herself to bread, sausages and mashed potatoes. They all laughed and talked, and as was tradition, Black and Peter decided to have another eating contest – of chicken sandwiches, this time, with James and Remus being assigned to quickly keep preparing the food from the available bread and chicken pieces, all of which were chopped into equal sizes with a few intelligent cuts with the Severing Charm.

"Ready – and GO!" announced Liz, and the boys began to wolf down their food at once. Mary and Marlene kept count of the sandwiches that were being eaten, and Lily said, "Ooh, a Galleon says Peter wins."

"You're on," said Liz, "But I get five if Sirius wins, because frankly – the odds are against him."

"Dondens," said Black, his mouth completely full, before returning to his sandwiches. Lily made a face, but said to Liz, "Done."

By then, neighbouring students had caught on to what was going on, and Lily soon found herself the unwitting record-keeper of bets. She quickly Summoned parchment, a quill, and ink, and began to write down names of several enthusiastic spectators, while Liz took their money in her own pointed hat. Finally, about fifteen minutes later, Black and Peter began to slow down.

"What's the count?" Liz asked, and Mary said, "Peter's at seventeen."

"We're on eighteen here," said Marlene, unable to keep the surprise from her voice. "Good God – you two are pigs!"

"That's it – I'm stuffed," Black proclaimed with a heavy sigh. "I can't eat another morsel!"

"C'mon, Pete – just one more!" encouraged James, who was making the fat boy's sandwiches. "C'mon!" Peter took the encouragement very seriously, and ate his eighteenth sandwich at a slow but steady pace, looking rather green in the process.

"C'mon – just one more bite, and you win!" James exclaimed. Buoyed by his friend's proclamation, Peter took the offered sandwich, and ate half of it in one bite. An explosion of cheering and laughter followed, and Peter stood up. "I win," he declared hoarsely, before his face turned greener. Suddenly, he retched, and Lily reacted instantaneously; she Summoned an empty pudding bowl into his hands, just as he made a gagging noise and spewed bits of half-eaten food into it.

"I win!" Black proclaimed jubilantly, as the students around them either burst into laughter or drew away with disgusted faces. "You great lump – why eat if you couldn't keep it down?"

" _Evanesco_ ," said James, and Peter's pool of sick vanished at once. The fat boy gave Lily a grateful glance and said, "Thanks, Lily."

"Sure – I didn't particularly fancy changing my robe colours from black to, er, light-brown," she replied dryly, and the others laughed. "Well – Peter ate more than eighteen – so he wins," Lily continued, addressing Black, who looked indignant. "He threw up at least _one_ sandwich!" he exclaimed, and Lily laughed. "Bet was to eat the most, not retain the most," she said, and Black gave her a glare before shrinking back, defeated. "You're a sly little minx, you know that, right?" he said, and she grinned triumphantly at him as the crowd around them guffawed.

"I know," she said, and promptly began to distribute the Galleons to the people who had placed bets. _The Welcoming Feast is_ always _eventful_ , she thought happily.

At long last, when all the tables had cleared, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Well – now that we've all been fed and watered – perhaps too much so," he added, with an amused glance at the Gryffindor table, causing Peter to go bright red, "Let's get down to business. I have a few start-of-term announcements to make…" He spoke about Argus Filch's infamous list of banned objects, before concluding with the usual warning about the Forbidden Forest being exactly that – forbidden.

"Finally," he said, "I am pleased to welcome Professor Pamela Burke, formerly of the Ministry of Magic, as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." The short-haired witch stood up, but didn't smile or wave; she merely sat back down two seconds later to a smattering of polite applause and a great deal of excited murmurs.

"So – this is where she came to hide," said Liz in wonder. "As long as Dumbledore's here – she's safe from the Death Eaters. And if she is carrying out her research on the poison antidote, what better place to be at than Hogwarts? Perhaps Slughorn will help her, too!"

"Makes sense," said Lily thoughtfully. Around her, the others appeared to have come to the same conclusion. "Ingenious," said James admiringly. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with such an idea… Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Britain!"

"She's still going to have to be on alert," said Marlene. "She can't afford to let down her guard –"

A sudden rumbling noise interrupted her; clearly, Dumbledore had just dismissed the school. Lily and Remus remained behind to help the first-years, before following them to Gryffindor Tower. " _Rubrus_ ," said Lily, as soon as they'd come up the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open, and admitted them into their circular, comfortable common room lined with tables, chairs, armchairs and sofas near the fire, which glowed steadily. She bade goodnight to Remus and climbed the spiral staircase towards her dormitory.

"So – we're NEWT students now," she said to Liz, who had already changed into her nightclothes. Her best friend nodded and said, "I think you're the only person who is excited about that!"

"Oh, lighten up," said Lily, laughing. "It's going to be fun – I can _feel_ it!"

Liz snorted but said nothing more. Instead, she bade Lily goodnight before disappearing behind her hangings. Lily followed suit, and settled comfortably into her warm four-poster bed, smiling with slight excitement… She was sure that lessons were going to be tougher from now on, and she was looking forward to it. Getting top grades in her NEWTs was her final thought before she drifted off to sleep…

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	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews, RUHLSAR000 AKA Bob Fluffkiller, Anna, Guest (Dec 5), CB and Guest (Dec 6). Cheers!

 **RUHLSAR000 AKA Bob Fluffkiller:** Thank you for the longest review I've ever received, and for all the constructive feedback. Do review this chapter too, and please keep reviewing!

 **Anna:** Thanks, that's why I decided to write this and the next year as a separate story. And I checked – you're right, I've made the correction in the previous chapter. Thanks!

 **Guest (Dec 5):** Thanks! I guess we'll have to wait and find out!

 **CB:** Thank you! Do review this chapter too!

 **Guest (Dec 6):** Here you go… And thanks!

Hello everyone, here is chapter five. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Five**

" **Perhaps – you just got lucky."**

James was up at the crack of dawn the next day, and by the time he'd bathed and gotten dressed, no one in the dormitory had even begun to stir. As was custom, he quietly made his way downstairs, all the way outside the castle gates and onto the Quidditch pitch. James liked to start his mornings by running about three miles around the pitch; of course, he only did that during autumn term and the summer term. He just couldn't be bothered to wake up early during the winter…

Just as he was about to start his run, however, a familiar, mellifluous voice called, "Mind if I join you?"

He wheeled around, smiling in welcome; it was Lily, and she was looking very pretty. "By all means," he said cheerfully. "Blimey, never took you for an early morning runner, Lily."

"I wasn't – until a few months ago, when you annoyed me so much that I stopped coming to train with the team," she said, a glint of mischief in her emerald-green eyes. James tried to look abashed, but he wasn't sure he'd been able to manage it, and she sensed that as she continued, "But then – the habit stuck, and I resolved that I'd run at least two miles every morning aside from training with the team this year." She drew in a sharp breath and added, "I can _still_ train with the team, right? Like last year – the warm-ups?"

"Of course," said James graciously, waving a hand. Why would she think he wouldn't allow her? They were friends now, after all…

Lily relaxed visibly, and James rolled his eyes. "C'mon – I'm Captain, I can do as I see fit so long as it doesn't harm the team's chances," he said reassuringly. He paused, then added with a playful wink at her, "Then again, I guess it pays for you to have the team Captain eating out of your hands…"

She frowned, and he amended quickly, "Or, something less flirty, and politer?" He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, and Lily shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm even putting up with you," she muttered, loud enough for him to hear her, and he grinned. "I'm starting to grow on you, Lily," he said mischievously, and she shook her head. "You think all that arrogance of yours is endearing – but trust me, it's not. It's _irritating_ – tone it down, will you?" she said, and James's grin widened. "Your wish is my command," he said, mock-bowing to her, and she snorted. Gesturing to the pitch, he said, "Shall we?"

"Yup – let's do what we set out to in the first place," she agreed, and together, they began their rounds. To his pleasant surprise, she was easily keeping pace with him, and she gave him a cheeky sort of smile before overtaking him and speeding off. Once more, he admired how pretty she was looking that morning – her red hair (held together by a ponytail) bounced lightly as she jogged, and her robes did no justice at all to her sexy curves –

 _I'm doing it again_ , he thought, forcing himself to focus on their little interaction five minutes ago; a smile came to his face immediately. _I'm making progress_ , he thought as he ran. Sure, she'd still called him arrogant, but she'd also (grudgingly though it may have been) just told him to 'tone it down' rather than saying something rude and storming off. It was a clear indication that _she_ was trying, too… She had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and he could finally relax a little. He was now sure, at least, that she wouldn't drop him like a hot potato every time he did or said something stupid… _Well, if the past is any indication, that happens quite often_ , he thought sardonically.

About half an hour of jogging behind Lily, James noticed her pace starting to slacken. He'd maintained the distance between them, and he now closed the gap rather quickly; finally, he pulled up alongside her and tapped her shoulder. "Tired?" he asked, smirking, and she turned to face him. "No!" she said feelingly, and James was captivated once more – her face was flushed with the effort, and the pinkish tinge on her cheeks along with the beads of sweat on her forehead made her look even more beautiful…

He collected himself and said with a hint of irony, "Well – _I_ am, so how about we go for breakfast now?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he gave her an innocent smile. "Ugh," she grunted, "That's the expression you have when you take part in a prank and claim no knowledge of it – you don't fool me!"

He grinned. "Didn't know you knew me so well," he said, and she blushed slightly. "I can only tell when you're up to something," she said defensively.

"Ah, well – c'mon, then," he said, "I'm hungry…"

"All right," she replied, "But let the record show that you got tired before me!" Her eyes were mischievous, and he smirked again. "Of course," he deadpanned, and she laughed. It _had_ to be the most beautiful sound he'd heard…

 _Snap out of it_ , he told himself furiously as she fell into step with him, and they began to walk back towards the castle. "So – want to be an Auror, do you?" she asked him, and he shrugged. "Something like that," he said vaguely as they entered the Entrance Hall. He didn't feel inclined to share his desire to join the Order of the Phoenix – with luck, after Hogwarts, Dumbledore might even recruit her if he wished to. In the meantime, it was James's job to keep the Order's existence a secret…

"The subjects you're taking – they're a dead giveaway," she said, "And besides – your Dad's one… I just figured you might be following in his footsteps, y'know?"

"Maybe," James said, "Fact is, nothing is decided… Anyway, what do you want to be? A Healer?"

"I'm not sure," said Lily, wrinkling her forehead as they took seats in front of each other at the Gryffindor table; only about ten people were seated there. James hungrily loaded eggs and bacon on his plate, applied butter to his toast, and began to tuck in. "Ahh – refreshing," he said with satisfaction, before focusing back on her. "So – if not a Healer, then what?"

"A Researcher, like Marlene's Mum," she replied, using her fork to cut her omelette into little pieces. "That is, if I get the required grades… You see, I should've taken the Runes, but now that I haven't, I need these letters of recommendation – and one of them has to be from someone outside of Hogwarts –"

"That can be easily arranged – I'm sure my Mum or Dad would be happy to do it," said James, and she gave him a little smile. "Thanks for the offer, James – but really, they should be someone who has seen my work –"

"My parents have," said James stoutly. "They know you're no pushover when it comes to spells, complex ones, at that –"

"C'mon! Twenty minutes of duelling doesn't count!" she exclaimed.

"It does when it saves someone's life," he countered softly, and she paused with her fork halfway from her mouth. "Look," she said gently, "I know this means a lot to you – but seriously, I did what anyone else would've done. You have to stop thinking like I did something – er, extraordinary…"

James understood; she was gently hinting to him that she would like to procure the letter of recommendation through merit rather than connections. _Well, I'm getting better at reading unspoken signals now_ , he thought wryly. "Fine," he said, deciding to let it rest, "But – I don't care what you say; what you did that day in Swansea – it was extraordinary, at least in my book."

"Thank you," said Lily, and a little blush appeared on her cheeks, making them look rosier than ever. "In that case – what you did was just as extraordinary. A – team effort, if you will." James grinned and raised his goblet of pumpkin juice to her before taking a swig from it.

"Well, well – look who's up, taking some time to themselves," came a voice, and Sirius slid into a seat next to James, a twinkle in his grey eyes. He wrinkled his nose at once and said, "Urgh, you stink, Prongs – how many times do I have to tell you to bathe after your bleeding fifty miles around the Quidditch pitch?"

"Sorry," said James, grinning. "I was hungry, mate."

"And Evans – you stink, too!" Sirius exclaimed, and James frowned at his friend's lack of tact. "You were running, too, I take it?" Sirius continued, "Or were the two of you –"

"You should've shut up at 'running'," Lily interrupted him at once, brandishing her fork at him threateningly. "And has no one ever told you that you never – _ever_ – tell a girl that she stinks? My word – I feel for all those ninnies who went out with you – they _must_ have a screw loose!"

"Not quite – I went out with Marlene, didn't I? Are you implying that Marlene's thick?" Sirius shot back, grinning wickedly. Lily shook her head and went back to her food as Liz, Marlene and Mary joined them. "'Morning, boys," said Liz, and James nodded to her in greeting. She took one look at him and Lily before grinning evilly. "So, Lil – now I know why you wanted to go for a run this morning – it was for the company, wasn't it?"

Lily went beetroot red and hissed, "For your information, I've been doing that for the past _six_ months – yes, even throughout the summer! In fact, if you were to challenge me to a race – I'd wipe your sorry a –"

"Tut, tut – no swearing, it's too early," smirked Liz, waggling her index finger, and everyone laughed. Narrowing her eyes, Lily applied a quick Deodorizing Charm on herself, and James inhaled a flowery sort of odour. She gave him a meaningful look – understanding immediately, he imitated her, and Sirius gave him a wicked grin with exaggerated relief. Remus and Peter soon joined them, both yawning hugely, and James was in for a surprise when Peter simply poured himself a cup of tea, ignoring the delicious food in front of him.

"Oh, goodness me – Pete's not eating! _Whatever_ is the world coming to?" said Sirius, smirking widely. Peter grimaced and said, "I think I had too much for dinner last night."

"Too true," laughed Sirius. "You had so much that even your stomach couldn't take it!" James chuckled, and Mary asked Peter, "You feeling better today?"

"Yes – I'll be all right by lunchtime," said Peter, "I just don't feel like eating at the moment…"

"I don't think anyone's surprised, mate," said Remus dryly, and everyone laughed.

Soon, the rest of the school began to depart, but the Gryffindor sixth-years remained seated; they had to get their timetables validated by Professor McGonagall. She started off with Mark, Jane, Mary and Remus, before moving on to Liz, whom she encouraged to take both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Lily was cleared for all the subjects she wanted, and James felt a leap of excitement; aside from her Arithmancy and his Muggle Studies classes, they had all other lessons in common. _I guess I knew that anyway_ , he thought, but he still couldn't shake off the glee he felt.

Marlene was cleared for Defence, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology and Charms as well, and Professor McGonagall came to Peter. "Well, Pettigrew – quite a surprise you have here!" she said briskly, her eyebrows raised. "An 'E' in Defence and Charms, too – but I was extremely pleased with you 'O' in Transfiguration. Well done, boy – I'm proud of you." Peter went pink; Professor McGonagall had never really complimented him before, and James knew that she'd usually been sharp with him until last year – when they'd finally achieved their Animagus transformation.

"He had _you_ teaching him, Professor," he said, with an innocent smile at the teacher, who shook her head. "I teach the entire school, Potter – but Pettigrew here has shown his desire to learn the subject, and that's what gave him the 'O'." Peter blushed even more furiously; he clearly didn't know how to react. James noted with pity that this was probably because Peter hardly ever received any sort of praise for his spellwork _. Well – I don't care, he's a Marauder through and through_ , he thought firmly. Where he may have lacked in skill, Peter had certainly tried hard to become an Animagus, and he'd succeeded after months of effort – all for the cause of helping Remus. That kind of loyalty and commitment was worth so much more than magic and spellwork…

"Right – but the problem here is Herbology and Potions, Pettigrew," said Professor McGonagall. "Professor Sprout might _just_ accept you with an 'A', if you're able to persuade her – but an 'A' in Potions may not be enough. I'm just not sure you'll be able to keep up with the work, boy."

"Er – Professor?" Lily asked tentatively. She was still there, as were the other girls – presumably waiting for them all. "Er – if I help Peter with his Potions work – maybe speak to Professor Slughorn… Could he take Potions?"

"Hmm – Miss Evans, I don't have an objection to that, but it is really up to Professor Slughorn," said Professor McGonagall thoughtfully. "If he agrees, we may be able to work out an arrangement where his performance will be evaluated every month, and if he's made sufficient progress by Christmas, he can continue. Does that sound all right to you, Pettigrew?"

"Yes ma'am," said Peter with a nervous grin. "And – if the same arrangement can be made for Herbology, too –"

"I'll help him there, Professor," Sirius volunteered immediately, and Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Well, Black – if it keeps you away from mischief and detentions, I'd be more than happy to agree," she said slowly, and Sirius grinned. "I'll help him, Professor – but I can't guarantee to stay out of mischief," he said, and Professor McGonagall shook her head. James grudgingly admired Sirius's brazenness – hell, he was openly telling their Head of House that he'd be playing the fool! _Just like Sirius_ , he thought. _No shame at all…_

"Right, then – Mr Black, Miss Evans, you will need to speak to Professor Sprout and Professor Slughorn yourselves, but I'll drop in a word before that," said Professor McGonagall crisply, before tapping Peter's timetable; at once, the class timings appeared on it. Professor McGonagall turned to James at last.

"So, Potter," she said, consulting the list of subjects he'd put down, "Transfiguration, Defence, Herbology, Potions, Charms – and Muggle Studies too, how unusual! But you have the required grades, boy – and just like Pettigrew here, I'm pleased with your performance in Transfiguration. In fact, I think you had the highest score in about a decade – at least, that's what the examiner told me…"

"It's natural ability, Professor," said James immediately, and Lily whispered, "Show-off."

"Well, that – and _you_ as my teacher, Professor," James continued, and Lily whispered, "Kiss a –" before catching herself in time and blushing as Liz elbowed her. Professor McGonagall acted as though she hadn't heard, and continued, "Well, Potter – I expect less tomfoolery from you this year, now that you're a NEWT student – and I expect Lupin to keep you in check, too," she added with a sideways glance at Remus, who had the grace to look abashed.

"I won't play the fool at all this year, Professor," said James innocently, and there came a variety of interruptions: Lily snorted, Liz scoffed, and the rest broke into laughter. Shaking her head, Professor McGonagall said, "You could at _least_ make an effort, boy – it's a pity I like your parents."

"You like me too, Professor," said James at once, and Professor McGonagall gave him a severe look, the effect of which was somewhat diminished as the corners of her mouth twitched. She went over to Sirius immediately, and cleared him for the same subjects as James. "Right – I must say that you're a talented bunch, I've never had eight students go for the same five NEWTs before – Defence, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and Herbology! Now – I expect you to make the best of it. Good luck!"

She walked off, and James turned to the others. "So – McGonagall does praise us every now and then," Lily said, unable to keep the wonder out of her voice. "I see – it's a new feeling for you, isn't it?" Liz asked her mischievously, and James laughed as Lily mock-punched the other girl. "We have double Potions first – let's go," he said, standing up, and the others followed suit; chattering and laughing, the little group made its way towards the dungeons. They all stopped at the door to their classroom, however; it looked as if about twenty-four people had made the cut, according to the list of names. Sirius grinned and said, "No surprise that we have only three Slytherins here – all of Snivellus's baboon friends are thicker than trolls!"

James quickly stole a glance towards Lily, but other than a frown on her face, she gave no reaction to Sirius's proclamation. He shook his head; as much as he despised old Snivelly, if Sirius kept insulting him time and time again in front of Lily, she might just stop talking to James as a result – and to say the least, that would be an undesirable outcome. The elation he'd felt only an hour ago began to fade.

They entered the classroom, and saw that about six tables had been arranged in it, with places for four students at each table. With a quick movement, he promptly sat down next to Liz, who had taken the same table as Lily. Liz gave him a meaningful look and smile, and he busily began to unpack his bag, saying 'hi' to Gavin Johnson (a Hufflepuff in their year) as he took the fourth spot at their table.

"Traitor," came a hiss from behind him, and he wheeled around to find Sirius giving him a mock-glare. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to set up his cauldron before taking in their surroundings; there were three cauldrons in front of them, all close to the teacher's table. The first one contained a mud-like substance which he had no difficulty in recognizing as Polyjuice Potion; the second contained what looked like boiling water, and the third one was emitting some of the most intoxicating scents he'd ever smelled; he could've sworn that it was emitting the woody scent of a broomstick handle as well as the exact same odour as Lily's Deodorizing Charm at the same time. He shook himself, and his eyes caught sight of a fourth cauldron, mounted directly on top of Slughorn's desk.

Slughorn entered the classroom and beamed around at them all. "Welcome back!" he boomed genially, "I'm quite happy that so many of you are returning for the Potions NEWT, seems like you're a talented bunch – yes, Miss Evans?" He gave Lily the affable smile usually reserved for her.

Lily quickly explained Peter's predicament, and Slughorn said, "Yes, my dear – Professor McGonagall did mention – well, Mr Pettigrew, there're a couple of old textbooks in the cupboard over there, you can use one until your performance review until the end of the month, shall we say? If your work is good, you can order a copy of Advanced Potion-Making then."

Peter nodded happily and did as instructed, shooting Lily a grateful look in the process. Slughorn waited for him to return to his seat before saying, "All right – now, who can tell me what this potion is?" He pointed at the potion that looked like boiling water, and Lily's hand shot up in the air at once; however, another hand caught James's eye, and he noticed Snape sitting at the table next to his, merely ten feet away from him. He felt the familiar rush of hatred as he noticed the other boy's greasy hair, sallow skin and pallid, skinny hands, before feeling a little sense of satisfaction… Lily was _his_ friend now, not Snape's, and he couldn't help feeling smug about it.

"Yes, Mr Snape?" Slughorn asked, and Snape said, "It's Veritaserum – a colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."

 _I'd like to force some down his bloody throat_ , thought James savagely. He was sure that Snape shared his own amorous interest in Lily, and he'd come to an epiphany at the end of last year that he'd actually been jealous of that slimy, oily git.

"Well done – ten points to Slytherin," said Slughorn. "Now – this potion? Yes, Miss Evans?"

"It's Polyjuice Potion, Sir," said Lily confidently, "Causes the drinker to change into someone else for a limited amount of time – typically, an hour."

"Correct – ten points to Gryffindor," said Slughorn, smiling amiably at her. Pointing to the potion emitting those odd, seductive scents, he asked, "And this – yes, Mr Black?"

"It's Amortenia, Sir," said Sirius, "The most powerful love potion in the world… Though I don't need it, myself," he added, and a titter of laughter went around the class; Sirius's escapades with girls was common knowledge throughout the school. "Indeed," said Slughorn indulgently, "But you haven't told me what makes it distinctive."

"It's supposed to smell differently to everyone," said Sirius. "Personally, I can smell apple pies, something like dog treats, and a strawberry-like odour…"

"That's just Hunt's shampoo," James said mischievously, his eyes gleaming, and the class laughed, Slughorn included. "That's quite correct, Mr Black – ten points to Gryffindor," said the professor; James stole a quick glance at Liz, and was unsurprised to see a faint blush on her cheeks. Well, he was going to have some fun with her… _Tease me with Lily, would you? Take that, Hunt_ , he thought with satisfaction.

"Right – so, take out your copies of Advanced Potion-Making, and turn to pages six and seven," said Slughorn briskly, but Gavin Johnson interrupted. "What's in that one, sir?" he asked, pointing at the cauldron on Slughorn's desk. James stared again at the little cauldron; as far as he could see, the potion in it was golden and turbulent, but somehow, not a single drop spilled outside the cauldron.

"Ahh," said Slughorn, with a gleam in his eyes, "That – _that_ , Mr Johnson, is a funny little potion called –" he paused for dramatic effect, then continued, "—Felix Felicis."

Lily gasped, as did a couple of other people. James wrinkled his forehead; the name rang a bell, but he couldn't remember what it was. "I take it, Miss Evans," said Slughorn, who had evidently heard Lily's gasp, "That you know what it does?"

"Yes, Professor," Lily said breathlessly. "Simply put, Felix Felicis is liquid luck – it makes you lucky!"

At that everyone seemed to sit up a little straighter, and James perked up at once. _Interesting_ , he thought. But why would Slughorn show it to the class? Unless… He drew in a sharp breath. He had an idea where this was going…

"Quite correct, my dear – ten points to Gryffindor," said Slughorn. "Tricky little potion, this – difficult to get right, and disastrous if it goes wrong. However, if brewed correctly – like this one, for instance – one spoonful of it is enough to make all your endeavours succeed, at least until the effects wear off."

"So – why don't people take it every time, Sir?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Because, Mr Pettigrew – when taken in excess, it can cause dizziness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence. It's highly toxic, you know – let's just say that it's too much of a good thing," said Slughorn briskly. "But in the right quantity – its effects are – ah, _perfect_. And that, ladies and gentlemen – is the prize I'm going to offer at the end of this lesson."

 _I knew it_ , James thought, as the room went quiet at once. Slughorn continued, "Right – on page six of your book is the Draught of Living Death. A complex potion, that – I don't expect a perfect attempt from anyone, but whoever gets the closest – wins a little bottle of Felix here." He held up the miniature bottle in question. "Enough for twelve hours luck… Keep in mind that this is a banned substance in organized competitions, elections and examinations, though – so, the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only, and that day will become extraordinary!" He checked his watch and added, "Now, you have about seventy minutes. Go!"

There was a sudden scraping as people set up their cauldrons, lit fires beneath them, and added weights to their scales. James quickly scanned his copy of Advanced Potion-Making; it was a difficult potion, and he realized with a sinking feeling that it was going to be nearly impossible to win that bottle of Felix Felicis. There were simply too many people in the class who were better than he was… _Why can't_ McGonagall _give this out as a prize?_ he thought, a little sullenly. _I'd have had no problem there!_

Within a few minutes, the dungeon was full of bluish steam. James chopped his valerian roots into equal sizes, before tackling the sopophorous bean; it was proving to be difficult to cut up, but he stuck at it and it finally managed to yield a reasonable amount of juice, all of which he scooped into the cauldron. His potion turned from violet to purple, but it wasn't quite the shade of lilac that the book described. He stole a sideways glance at Liz and Lily; Liz's potion was similar to his, but Lily's was a whole lot better. She was gently stirring it anti-clockwise, and he noted that with each stir, the colour seemed to become a little lighter. _Well, rather her than anyone else_ , he thought before turning back to his own purple potion. He began to stir it anti-clockwise, too… But the effect wasn't nearly as pronounced as Lily's; it took him ten minutes just to get a nice lavender shade to his potion.

"This is tough," he confided in Liz, who shook her head and said, "I couldn't agree more – at least your potion is a light sort of purple, look at mine." James looked over into her cauldron obediently; to his relief, he saw that her potion was a lot more bluish than his. He gave her a rueful smile before turning to his right – and to his shock, he realized that Snape's potion was a very pale sort of pink, and losing colour steadily. He watched as the other boy stirred his potion; to his surprise, Snape gave a clockwise stir after a few (James counted seven) anti-clockwise stirs – and the effect was immediate. Snape's potion was growing clearer by the second.

Irritated and fascinated at the same time, James tried the trick – he brazenly added a clockwise stir after seven anti-clockwise ones, and to his elation, it worked; his potion turned a pale sort of purple immediately. He repeated the trick a few times before stealing a glance at Lily's potion, and was surprised to see that his potion was now clearer than hers. All of his elation vanished immediately… If he'd managed to overtake Lily in so less time, he could imagine how far ahead Snape was now. _Dammit_ , he thought… As much as he hated to admit it, Snape had a knack for potions, and his skill behind a cauldron was unrivalled – at times, even by Lily.

"That greasy git's going to win," he said glumly to Liz, whose potion was now a firm shade of cobalt blue which wasn't getting any lighter no matter how hard she stirred. She glanced at Snape's potion to confirm his pronouncement, before giving James an irritable look and saying, "Not if I can help it." She pulled out her wand and muttered something; at once, unbeknownst to Snape (who was still stirring his now almost-completely-clear potion), a little hole appeared in his cauldron, and his potion began to leak out of it and onto the flames, which began to sizzle. Liz put her wand away at once just as James said loudly, "Blimey, Snivellus – what're you playing at?"

Snape stopped stirring at once and looked under his cauldron; he muttered a curse before pulling out his wand and trying to repair the damage, but it was too late – his nearly-clear potion was now turning pink again. He shot James a look of pure loathing, just as Liz whispered, "You're welcome."

"Liz – that wasn't really fair, it's like cheating on a test!" James said softly, ignoring Snape's curses in his direction as Slughorn marched towards him. Liz smiled wickedly and said just as softly, "I know – consider this as me paying him back for calling Lily a – a you-know-what."

James let out a low whistle. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," he said fervently, and she grinned, just as Lily gave them both a suspicious look. "What're you whispering about?" she asked them curiously, but Liz waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing," she said, "Aren't you supposed to be stirring?"

"I'm done – the potion is ready," said Lily smugly, and James stared at her in disbelief. He had underestimated her abilities, then – perhaps she, too, had figured out some sort of shortcut like Snivellus had. It would definitely explain how she completed the potion when Slughorn himself had said that he didn't expect a perfect attempt from anyone…

"Time's up!" Slughorn called, and James jumped; he hadn't realized that the professor was right next to him. "Yes, Mr Snape – that's enough. I understand that you only have to let your potion stand for another minute before adding the final valerian root – but time's up, and rules are rules! Like I said, I don't expect a perfect potion from anybody – so, simmer down." He laughed at the pun, and James smiled, too… But it was for a different reason. If Lily was done, that meant that she'd won, didn't it?

Slughorn began to inspect everyone's potions, declaring all the while that Snape had progressed furthest… Until he came to their table. He gave an approving nod at James's baby pink potion, smiled and shook his head at Liz's concoction. He shook his head at Gavin's cauldron, before coming to Lily's; at once, delighted smile appeared on his face. "The clear winner!" he announced, "Well, well, I'm not surprised, Lily – that you're the only one who has completed the Draught of Living Death! Well, here you go, dear – one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised – use it well!"

He gave the little bottle to Lily, who appeared self-satisfied and ecstatic at the same time as she tucked her prize into her robes whilst thanking Slughorn. James stole a glance at Snape, who was seething. "I know it was you, Potter," he said softly, his voice dangerous. "You'll pay for this – I guarantee it."

"I didn't do anything, Snivelly," said James, quite truthfully. "Besides, why're you crying? You've got your own Leaky Cauldron now!"

Liz snorted, and behind him, he could hear Sirius's familiar roar of laughter, too – evidently, his best friend hadn't missed what had happened to Snape's cauldron. As the bell rang, James quickly congratulated Lily and dashed off to walk with the other Marauders, but not before giving Liz a wink and a nod, which she returned with an evil smile of her own. _Wow,_ that _girl_ , he thought admiringly. If it had been he who'd pulled it off, he'd have made sure that everyone else knew who was behind it… But Liz, she was different. She had a finesse and a guile that was truly original… _She's wily_ , he thought appreciatively. He'd sort of decided to lay off Snivellus for a while, but here was Liz – taking his place, and doing the job more subtly than he ever could.

"That was hilarious, Prongs!" chortled Sirius as they walked back towards the Great Hall for lunch. "Blimey, I'd have puked all over the dungeon had Snivelly won that lucky potion –"

"C'mon, James – that was a little low, mate," chastised Remus. James's grin faded; his own friends had been quick to assume that he was the culprit, which meant that everyone else would, too – particularly, the charming redhead he'd jogged with that morning. "I know you won't believe me, Moony – but it wasn't me, I swear," he said nonetheless. Remus gave a disbelieving snort as Sirius said, "Don't be modest, mate – that trick had James Potter written all over it!"

"He's not lying," said Peter, and everyone turned to look at him. "I know it wasn't him – he was working on his potion, never even had a wand out," he continued firmly, albeit with a little quaver in his voice.

"See? _Someone_ believes me," said James, clapping Peter on the back energetically. "Thanks, Wormtail – you're the one that's truly loyal to me!" Peter grinned and nodded, while Sirius and Remus continued to look disbelieving but thankfully let the matter drop as they took seats at the Gryffindor table just as Lily was saying shrewdly, "It was pretty convenient that Severus's cauldron melted when it did – I'm sure he'd have beaten me otherwise." Spotting James, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"About what?" said James with feigned ignorance, disregarding the tiny snorts from Sirius and Remus. "You know very well what I'm talking about," said Lily, attempting to sound irritable, but coming off as faintly amused instead.

"I assure you – I had nothing to do with Snape's cauldron melting," said James. "Perhaps – you just got lucky," he added sardonically, and she rolled her eyes but said nothing more. "Smooth," whispered Sirius in his ears, and was promptly elbowed by James. He checked their timetable and announced that they had double Defence next.

After lunch, the sixth-year Gryffindors trooped to DADA, with James feeling a mild sense of anticipation. Based on what he knew about Pamela Burke, the witch was a brilliant researcher, a talented potioneer, and had a personality about as pleasant as castor oil… _This is going to be an interesting lesson_ , he thought as he entered the classroom and took seats right at the back.

"You can put your books away," said the teacher as soon as she entered the classroom. "Fat lot of good they are, anyway… To learn Defence Against the Dark Arts, you need to be able to use magic, not just read about it. Stand up, all of you." They obeyed, and she waved her wand once; all tables, bags and benches flew to a corner of the room and stacked themselves up neatly, leaving a large space in the centre.

"Right," she said, "Who knows anything about non-verbal spells?"

A few hands from the twenty-odd people in the class went up, and the Professor tutted. "You're all NEWT students, and only four of you know the answer to _such_ a simple question? Pathetic – I'll be having a word with Dumbledore about this," she said snidely, before pointing at Snape. "A non-verbal spell is one performed without saying the incantation out loud," he said, and the teacher shook her head. "A four-year-old would've said the same thing," she said dismissively, and James snorted; anything which caused Snape discomfort was fine by him. Unfortunately, the teacher heard, and pointed to him at once. "Right, if you find this funny, why don't _you_ tell me the advantage of a non-verbal spell?"

"Er," began James, "It gives you an advantage, because your opponent has no idea what spell you're going to use." He was mildly pleased with his ability to think on his feet.

"Unless your opponent is a highly skilled Legilimens, and your Occlumency skills are non-existent," said the teacher, and James shrank back at once. To his annoyance, he saw a gleeful expression on Snape's face. "To add to your answer, a non-verbal spell gives you a split-second advantage – Potter, isn't it?" the teacher continued, and he nodded silently.

"Right, so – today, we're going to see how many of you dunces can actually _cast_ a non-verbal spell," said Professor Burke. "Pair up – and try to Disarm each other – non-verbally, only."

James immediately partnered up with Sirius, who grinned and said, "Winner buys lunch for the loser on our first Hogsmeade weekend?"

"Deal," said James; raising his wand, he thought, _Expelliarmus!_ However, nothing happened; he could see from Sirius's screwed-up face that his friend was having no better luck than himself. After trying hard for about ten minutes, James was relieved to see a jet of red light emerge from his wand; however, Sirius managed to shatter it with a Shield Charm, causing James to evade his own spell.

"Ha – I win," he declared, but Sirius smiled and shook his head. "You still have to Disarm me, mate," he said, his grey eyes twinkling. "Hey – no fair, your Shield Charm wasn't non-verbal!" James replied, and Sirius smirked. "She said Disarm non-verbally – she didn't say to _defend_ non-verbally, did she?"

At that moment, the teacher came up to them and said severely, "The _point_ of this class, boy – is to _learn_ a non-verbal spell. If you don't want to do that, you might as well leave." James sniggered as Sirius gulped and shook his head vigorously; the teacher gave him a baleful look before going away to presumably criticise someone else.

"Wow, mate – she definitely has an attitude problem," said Sirius as they walked out an hour later, both of them having been able to successfully Disarm each other non-verbally (James had won that round). "I'd be too, if crazy maniacs were after me," said James thoughtfully. Sirius grimaced and said, "In that case, wouldn't it help if you were actually _friendlier_?"

"Don't take it personally – she's rude to everyone," came Marlene's voice from behind them. The brunette added, "You should've heard Mum go on about her… _Oh, she may be one of the sharpest minds of our generation, but she could do with a lesson in manners!_ "

James laughed. "I volunteer Sirius to teach her manners, then – he's the one who has a problem with her attitude."

Sirius snorted and said, "Spare me – I'd rather hug my mother."

There was an awkward silence, and Sirius continued cheerfully, "Oh, lighten up, you lot! It's fine, really – my parents aren't the friendliest, and they've already disinherited me, so I don't owe them anything!"

Peter and the girls gave nervous smiles, and James said quickly, "Who wants to have a fly around the pitch?"

"Me!" Liz and Marlene exclaimed promptly, and Sirius nodded brightly. "C'mon, then – let's go! Take our bags back, Moony." He slung his bag around Remus's shoulders, and the brown-haired boy sighed but made no objection. With an energetic wave to the others, James set off with half his Quidditch team in tow, happily looking forward to going back where he belonged – the Quidditch pitch…

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James soon found that non-verbal spells were the order of the day not only in Defence, but in Transfiguration and Charms as well. His lessons were proving to have a much steeper learning curve than what he was used to, and the free periods from their timetables were spent revising what was taught in class as well as completing several complicated assignments. He'd held Quidditch tryouts two weeks into term, but they had only been a formality; with last year's entire team still present, James had simply checked if any new hopefuls were better than his current teammates – and while fifth-year Aaron Sedgwick had put in an impressive performance against Ravenclaw last year in Sirius's stead, he hadn't been good enough to beat the latter and fellow fifth-year Olivia Dunbar, resulting in the same team as last year playing this year as well.

"So, you ready?" James asked Sirius one Thursday night in mid-September. He was done with his homework, and they'd just returned to the common room after dinner. Sirius nodded and said, "Yup – just waiting for Pete, but he's so bloody slow!"

"Well – it was his turn to scout around," James pointed out, and Sirius snorted. "Trust me, mate – we need to do something about this," he said thoughtfully. "We can't keep wasting time until the scout comes back to tell us that it's safe. We need – something like a _detector_ , you know? Something that can tell us that the coast is clear – without budging from our current position."

"Something like a map, you mean?" James asked, interested. "Something to show us the way, and tell if anyone is in our path?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind," said Sirius, nodding in agreement. "Look at it this way – every minute wasted is every minute Moony is alone. And you know how restless he gets if we're late…"

James nodded solemnly. He had absolutely no regrets about becoming an Animagus – sure, he was unregistered, which could lead to all sorts of trouble for him and his father if someone found out, but he had no intention of making that news public. His Animagus form – Prongs – had _one_ sole purpose: to help Moony makes his transformations a bearable experience. At least, that was how it had all started…

It was back in third year that James, Sirius and Peter had figured out Remus's secret. They'd confronted him about it, and after some effort, they'd managed to assuage his fears that they were still his friends… They weren't afraid of him, and they wanted to help him. Turning into Animagi had been James's idea, and it was he who had achieved the transformation first, followed shortly by Sirius, and then Peter – the fat boy had been a little reluctant at first, but he'd soon come around, and he'd volunteered to choose a small enough animal that could slip beneath the Whomping Willow's attacking branches to press the knot that froze the tree. Yes, Peter's Animagus form was useful indeed…

Just then, the door of the common room opened, and Peter himself entered. He immediately made his way to James and Sirius, and said breathlessly, "The coast is clear – but we should leave, it's nearly nine! Time for the Prefects' patrol…"

"Yes – well done, Pete," said James, standing up at once. He began to follow his friends when a voice called, "Where're you lot going?"

James wheeled around to find Liz and Marlene, the former looking at them rather suspiciously. "Nothing – just a snack," he lied easily, and Liz nodded. "Great – get me a hot cocoa on the way back," she said, and Marlene added, "One for me, too!"

"Sorry, girls – no orders today," said Sirius briskly, "Maybe tomorrow!" He climbed out of the portrait hole, and with an apologetic glance at the frowning girls, James followed him. Once outside, he said sarcastically, "Nicely done, Padfoot – if that doesn't arouse their suspicions, nothing will."

"Well – _someone_ had to say something, considering that the cat got your tongue," Sirius shot back.

"We can bicker later," said Peter firmly, and produced James's Invisibility Cloak from his own pocket. "The Cloak is handy for scouting – but I'm just getting the feeling that we're getting to big for it."

"It'll have to do – it's already late," said James, and Peter threw the Cloak over the three of them. They made their way slowly towards the Entrance Hall, and were out into the grounds by the time the moon had risen in the sky. With one look around, James pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and grinned at the others.

"Ready, Peter?" he asked. In response, the fat boy nodded and quickly transformed into a rat. James admired the effortlessness of Peter's transformation; it had taken some doing, but now, Peter was doing an excellent job with his Animagus form. He watched the rat scurry across the grass, and a few seconds later, the tree froze.

"That's our cue," said Sirius. "C'mon – last one there's a bashi-bazouk!"

"You, then," said James dryly, before concentrating for two seconds – and like always, he felt himself change. He bounded across the grass on all fours, keeping pace with the bear-like, jet-black dog who ran next to him – before breaking into a gallop and reaching the tree before his friend. He laughed – it came out as a low, rumbling noise from his throat. He indicated for Padfoot to enter the passage, before following him…

For the umpteenth time, James marvelled at the elegance of the Animagus transformation as he trotted along the tunnel. It was a tricky transformation, calamitous if it went wrong – but if done right, it was nothing short of sophisticated. The perfect transformation (which himself, Sirius and Peter were able to achieve) made sure that anything one carried along with one's body – robes, shoes, even wands – would temporarily fuse to oneself before one's animal form was achieved. Thus, James knew that once he transformed back into himself from the giant red stag, he'd still be fully clothed, and have his wand on him…

They were almost at the end of the tunnel, and Wormtail soon climbed over Padfoot and sat primly on his back. James heard a little bark that sounded like a laugh before the big dog stopped and sniffed deeply. Apparently satisfied, he nodded to James before entering the Shrieking Shack. James waited as Padfoot bounded up the stairs; this was always a little annoying to him, for in his Animagus form, climbing stairs was a pain. He'd stopped trying after nearly breaking his leg on a full moon night last year, courtesy of falling down two flights of steps.

About a minute later, Padfoot returned with Moony in tow; James let out another low rumble as the werewolf sniffed him eagerly. A werewolf was only a danger to humans, and as Moony's strangely human-like eyes locked onto his own, James could see that there was no aggression in them, only mild curiosity. Satisfied, he motioned to the others with his head and began to head back out of the tunnel.

A few minutes later, Wormtail was the first to emerge from the tunnel entrance beneath the Whomping Willow. He returned and squeaked once to indicate that it was safe; Padfoot exited first, followed by Moony and Prongs. James turned a watchful eye to Moony as he sniffed the pure night air deeply… Judging by the werewolf's calmness, there was no one wandering around, and James let out a satisfied rumble. The black dog walked silently in step with the werewolf, and James hovered on his other side protectively, making sure to keep Moony in check.

Soon enough, they were heading into the Forbidden Forest, and the four animals bounded swiftly along a trail that James knew would take them to a clearing – the same clearing that Marcus Arnold had led them to more than two years ago, where Professor Walcott had nearly wiped out his and Lily's memories – and it was also the same place where Lily had held his hand tightly for the first time as they'd faced danger head-on.

Soon enough, they were at the clearing, and James watched like a hawk as Padfoot playfully nipped Moony's little tufted tail before bounding away. The werewolf followed him swiftly, and tackled him – the two animals rolled around as the wolf let out a snarl, followed by a bark from the dog. Not wanting to miss the fun, James jumped into the fray himself, and separated the others by gentle taps with his antlers. The black dog nipped him instead and ran off, and James chased Padfoot down before attempting to hoist him on his antlers; Moony arrived just then and growled at James, who understood at once that it was protective rather than threatening. He stepped back from Padfoot at once; to his surprise, Moony jumped the black dog again, and the two animals rolled around once more. Wormtail climbed on James's shoulder and let out a series of squeaks; James knew at once that Peter was laughing as they watched their friends play with each other.

The night wore on, and James had his chance of mock-fighting with Moony as well. He noted with pride that the werewolf's claws were redacted the whole time he used them, which reinforced his belief that as long as they were around, Moony was less wild – even a little tame. A couple of owls watched their sport from their perch on an oak tree, until one of them was brave enough to descend – and land right onto the werewolf's shoulders. Remarkably, Moony didn't harm it, choosing to walk more carefully instead – as if he didn't want to disturb the bird. The werewolf howled in contentment, and James relaxed at once.

Padfoot settled down underneath the oak tree, and closed his eyes. This was part of the plan; as the night wore on, James and Sirius would take turns to catch a little shuteye, so that they weren't too tired in class the next day. James watched a little uneasily as the owl left Moony's shoulder before swooping down straight at him; he reared his antlers at once and chased it away, certain that it was after Wormtail, who had dropped to the ground after letting out a series of terrified squeaks. James needn't have worried, though; as the owl returned for a second attack, Moony simply drew his claws and made a wild slash at it – the bird was caught right down the middle, and emitted a wild hoot as it took flight once again, bleeding freely. James let out a fretful rumble; he hoped that it hadn't been a school owl, or worse still, someone's owl – but his worry soon gave way to pride. Moony had actually _saved_ Wormtail – he'd recognized the little rat as his friend, and Wormtail expressed his gratitude by climbing onto the werewolf's shoulder and squeaking in relief.

A few hours later, it was a tired stag, dog and rat who escorted the werewolf back into the Shrieking Shack. As per their agreement, they left Moony alone before bounding out of the tunnel just as the sun's first rays hit the horizon. They transformed back into themselves and made their way back towards Gryffindor tower, moving slowly under the Invisibility Cloak. They made it to the dormitory without incident, thankfully before Mark Gilchrist woke up – luckily, he was a heavy sleeper, and he didn't even stir as James and the others snuggled into bed just as the clock on James's bedside table showed six o'clock – which gave them roughly an hour of sleep.

James pulled his blanket more snugly over himself, thinking… There was surely a lot of merit in their idea to make a map of some sort, to reduce the time wasted in scouting. If they mapped out their usual route to the Great Hall on a piece of parchment, and enchanted it such that it could tell if anyone was there or not, life would be so much easier…

He suddenly drew in a sharp breath. An idea had come to him – a _wonderful_ idea. What if they didn't map out just their route? What if they mapped out the entire castle instead? And what if they could bewitch the map such that it showed the positions of everyone in the castle – at _all_ times? _Wow, that would be an incredibly powerful tool_ , he thought excitedly. They'd never have to scout again…

His last thought before he fell asleep was a reminder to himself to discuss this idea with the others the next day.

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	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews, Arya, CB and Anna. Cheers!

 **Arya:** You're welcome! I really enjoyed writing that scene, and I am planning to put a few more!

 **CB:** Thanks! Yes, you guess correctly, it is the beginning of the Marauders' Map.

 **Anna:** Thanks! Hmm, I dunno why it said that, but I'll check. Do keep reviewing, and cheers!

Hello everyone, here is chapter six. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Six**

" **That makes it three for three."**

"Blimey, what's the point of _free_ periods – if we aren't _free_ to do what we want?" grumbled Liz one morning at the end of September, pushing aside _A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration_ and sighing. Lily looked up from her own textbook and said fretfully, "Speak for yourself – this stuff is difficult, I'd be drowning if we didn't have these free periods to study!"

"Oh, shut up – you're doing fine!" Liz said dismissively. "Professor Flitwick can't praise you enough!"

"Like that matters!" Lily exclaimed. "It's Transfiguration that matters – oh, I set a high standard by getting an 'E', now McGonagall expects a lot out of me!"

"Don't flatter yourself," Liz said, the corners of her mouth twitching. "McGonagall's more focused on _us_ – me and Sirius and James and all the rest who got an 'O'; she doesn't have time for nitwits like you." She laughed and ducked aside as Lily threw her quill at her. Then her voice became more comforting as she said, "C'mon, Lil – sixth year is supposed to be tough – we're NEWT students now, you said it yourself!"

"I know, I know – I just didn't think it would be _this_ tough!" Lily exclaimed, clutching her head. "I mean, I barely understand half of what Professor McGonagall says these days!"

"You're not the only one," Liz confided. "I'm in the same boat – and don't tell them I said this, but after the last Quidditch practice, I overheard James and Sirius going on about how Transfiguration was so tough, too!"

"Wow – them, too?" Lily said, raising her eyebrows as she felt a tiny twinge of relief. Liz smiled and said, "Yep – so, quit worrying. Anyway – let's go, it's time for the class itself."

Together, they walked towards the Transfiguration classroom. Once again, there were about twenty people in the classroom, and Lily nodded to her friends as she took a seat in the front row next to Liz.

"'Morning, class," said Professor McGonagall as she walked into the classroom. "I think we've had enough of revision and just theory… We're going to start off with Animal Transfiguration today – we'll learn to Transfigure non-living things into animals, followed by Conjuration spells – and after Easter, we'll be studying Human Transfiguration. Oh, and one more thing – your final exams will cover all these, and you'll have to cast all your spells non-verbally."

"Just our luck," Lily whispered to Liz. "Dammit – these non-verbal spells are getting on my nerves."

"Don't worry – we'll get a handle on it," Liz whispered back reassuringly, just as Professor McGonagall said, "Here's a little demonstration for you all." She waved her wand, and turned her desk into a pig. The class let out startled gasps and sighs as the pig snorted and harrumphed, before Professor McGonagall turned it back into the desk.

"Nice one, Professor!" Black shouted from the back of the class, "But if you hadn't Transfigured it back so soon, we'd all have had pork chops here and now!"

A titter ran throughout the class as James and Peter laughed, but Lily shook her head. _Unbelievable_ , she thought… _It's like he sees food everywhere!_ "Some bloke you like," she said in an undertone to Liz, her eyes glinting with mischief, and Liz elbowed her none too lightly, a red tinge on her cheeks. Lily snickered softly as Professor McGonagall said tartly, "In that case, Black – your detention would've been to carve out a new desk for me – without magic." The class laughed again, Lily and Liz included. _Serves him right_ , thought Lily. _He can be really crass sometimes…_

"Anyway," said Professor McGonagall, giving the class a glare – and the laughter simply died away; Lily had long since cottoned on to the fact that Professor McGonagall required minimal efforts to keep the classroom quiet. "We'll all be starting small." She waved her wand once, and metal goblets appeared in front of each student. "Turn these into butterflies – the incantation is _Wende Kelzumschmett_ ," she added, "Wand movements are on the board." She tapped the blackboard, and a diagram depicting the correct wand movement appeared on it. "Start with a verbal spell – shouldn't take you too long – followed by the same thing, non-verbally. Begin."

" _Wende Kelzumschmett_ ," Lily whispered, as she waved her wand diagonally downwards from left to right, followed by a vertical movement; nothing happened. She hadn't really expected anything to happen in her first try, anyway… She tried again. Beside her, Liz waved her wand, and her goblet turned into a large, blue butterfly that fluttered its wings and began to fly away before Liz Summoned it back to herself.

"How –?" began Lily, but Liz just gave her a little smile. "You can do it too – it's not that hard," she encouraged. Taking in a deep breath, Lily repeated the spell – until finally, to her great relief, she got it on her fifth try. "Whew, that's done," she said, Summoning the flying butterfly back to herself.

"Not quite, Miss Evans," came Professor McGonagall's voice, and the teacher turned the butterfly back into a goblet. "Now – do it non-verbally."

Shaking her head, Lily concentrated with all her might, but it proved to be an exceedingly difficult task. Liz was able to do it soon enough, but Marlene and Mary were having no better luck than Lily… She gritted her teeth as she heard Professor McGonagall praise James and the others. Why wasn't she able to achieve this simple spell? She'd worked so hard on Transfiguration last year – why wasn't any of that effort helping her now? She narrowed her eyes at the goblet, and thought angrily, _Wende Kelzumschmett!_

To her shock and elation, the goblet turned into a butterfly – but it had only one wing. It crept along the table sadly as Professor McGonagall came to her table and said, "Right, Miss Evans – you almost got it. Try again." She turned the half-butterfly back into a goblet before moving away.

"Dammit – looks like all my free periods are going to go on Transfiguration," said Lily gloomily as they all emerged from the classroom nearly an hour later; she'd managed to turn her goblet into a butterfly at last, but Liz, James and Black had already moved on to turning goblets into sparrows.

"Don't worry – I'll help you," said Liz, patting her back. Then she grinned mischievously and said, "Or – you could ask James… Who knows what those study sessions will turn into –"

"Shut up," said Lily irritably, as Liz laughed. "Y'know, I don't understand why you keep teasing me with him –"

"Because it's fun!" Liz supplied. "You see – it's fun to tease James with you, so it was only going to be a matter of time before the reverse applied!"

"Oh, come on!" Lily exclaimed. Then her tone grew serious. "D'you think he still likes me, Liz?"

Liz's smile faltered a little, and she said, "Er – I don't know, to be honest. Do _you_ think he still likes you?"

"If I knew I wouldn't have asked you," Lily responded, sighing. "Look – I don't know if he does, but I know one thing for sure – _I_ don't think about him like that. We're friends now… And besides, if he does still like me, he's doing a damn good job of hiding it."

"I see," said Liz. "But if you don't like him like him, is there someone you _do_ like?" There was a mischievous glint in her sea-green eyes.

"Er – I haven't really thought about it," said Lily truthfully, casting her mind around. Sure, Gavin Johnson was cute, and really nice… But he was just a friend. Then there was Nathan Morgan – he was a member of the Slug Club, and Lily had caught him giving her interested glances one or two times. There were a couple of others in their year as well – but then someone else's name cropped up in her brain.

She thought about the Gryffindor Keeper, Adam Wright. He was tall, with brown hair and grey eyes, and with the physique of Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer her Dad so admired. Sure, Adam's handsomeness had made him the subject of interest to half of the school's girl population – but it was difficult to approach him or even speak to him. The bloke was _so_ darn silent – in fact, even after joining the Gryffindor Quidditch practice last year, Lily couldn't remember saying even a single word to him…

"Well – if you want a date to Hogsmeade, you'd better think about someone, quickly," said Liz promptly. "Come to think about it – when's the first Hogsmeade weekend?"

"November tenth," said Lily promptly; she'd memorized the Hogsmeade weekend timetable as soon as the prefects had decided it.

"Why is it so late? Like – _after_ the Quidditch match?" asked Liz, making a face. Lily shrugged and said, "I dunno – it's typically around Hallowe'en, but the first November weekend is the day of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, so I guess the Hogsmeade visit was pushed back."

"Hmm – makes sense," said Liz, nodding. "To be fair, Quidditch is more important than Hogsmeade –"

"You'll be singing a different tune if Black asks you out some time soon," Lily said dryly, and was satisfied to note that Liz was blushing again. "Let's face it – at this point, there's nothing you'd like better!"

"Yeah – but it isn't going to happen," said Liz as they entered the common room.

"Why d'you think that?" Lily asked as they began to climb the spiral staircase to the girls' dormitories.

Liz sighed and said, "Look, if it was going to happen, it would've happened by now. I mean, Sirius Black isn't really someone who waits around when it comes to girls –"

"It could also mean that he thinks you're special, not like the others," Lily pointed out. To her surprise, Liz gave a loud, disbelieving snort. "You're joking, right? Are you forgetting _who_ we're talking about?"

"Yeah – good point," Lily said with a wry smile.

"Coming to practice?" Liz asked her, and her tone indicated that she wanted to change the subject. "Naturally," she responded, and Liz grinned. "There's a Slug Club party tonight – I thought you'd go to that," she said, smirking.

"Er – not that I really want to – but Slughorn said he was looking forward to seeing me there, especially since it's the first one of term," said Lily, sighing. "Any chance you or James are coming? I don't want to go there by myself – I'm pretty sure Severus will try to talk to me again." It was true, after all; her former friend had attempted to talk to her at least three times after their various common classes, but she'd ignored him every time. Even Slughorn had noticed that his two best students weren't speaking to each other; and though he hadn't mentioned it in class, Lily was sure that it was going to come up if she went to the party.

"If that git comes within five feet of you, just hex him," advised Liz, narrowing her eyes. "Personally, I think he has a lot of nerve to even attempt _talking_ to you – after what he did." She paused before adding, "Even Providence knows what a disgusting thing it was – and he was punished when his cauldron melted just as he was on the verge of winning the Felix Felicis."

"Er – is Providence a euphemism for James?" Lily asked shrewdly. To her surprise, Liz shook her head. "Nah – James didn't do anything; it was karma, nothing else."

"Well – it worked out well for me," said Lily cheerfully, letting the matter rest. "Now – let's go to practice."

Soon, Lily was standing on the Quidditch pitch alone, waiting for the Gryffindor team to emerge from the changing rooms. _Of course James scheduled practice today_ , she thought, shaking her head. _He dislikes Slughorn's little gatherings nearly as much as Liz…_ But Lily knew that there was an advantage to going there. She was well aware that as a Muggle-born, she was going to have to find her place in the Wizarding world through talent and skill rather than people simply knowing you as the son or daughter of Mr So-and-so. And that was where Slughorn's parties came in; it afforded Lily a chance to speak to several well-known and well-connected people, so that when the time came, it wouldn't be difficult for her to find a job… _Of course, that St Mungo's Healer practically offered me one, and it's all thanks to Slughorn_ , she thought gratefully.

Soon enough, the entire team walked out onto the pitch, along with the reserves (who weren't wearing the scarlet-and-gold robes). "Hey, Lily," greeted James with a mischievous smirk, and Lily mock-glared back at him, remembering (to her chagrin) their jog earlier that morning; as they'd headed in for breakfast, he'd playfully pulled her ponytail and run away, and she'd been unable to catch him. "Right," he called to the rest, "C'mon – give me two miles around the pitch – and I want that done in fifteen minutes this time!" He led from the front, and everyone else followed, huffing and puffing. Finally, after a few rounds, they all came to the centre of the pitch.

"Well – you know the drill," said James, "Push-ups – give me thirty, c'mon!" Lily obeyed, and followed the usual routine – sit-ups, lunges and finally, the plank. She was reaching about one minute with her plank – but Liz and Marlene were routinely hitting one-and-a-half minutes, and James and Sirius could even do two minutes. Adam Wright was the best, though – he remained in the planked position long after the others, before standing up at the three-minute mark.

"How do you do that?" Lily asked him, unable to keep the admiration out of her voice. The tall boy smiled and said, "Practice – that's all." He had a warm, deep voice, and Lily had the inexplicable urge to smile and play with her hair. "You're going to have to show me," she replied, her voice unusually high-pitched.

"I don't mind," he replied, giving her an expectant sort of look. She could sort of see why it wasn't easy to talk to him – he seemed to be a man of few words. _The strong, silent kind_ , she thought, a little dreamily. Aloud, she said, "How about Saturday afternoon?"

"Works," he replied with another grin, which Lily returned. "Thanks," she said with fervent relief, "I know that planking is one of the best exercises when it comes to endurance – and that's where I'm lacking, really."

Before Adam could respond, however, a voice called, "OI, Wright! C'mon, mate – unless you want to concede many more goals today 'coz you don't know what tactics we're practising!"

Lily turned to see James beckoning Adam over. She blushed and said, "Er – sorry, I didn't mean to –"

But Adam waved her apology aside. "See you Saturday, then," he said, and Lily's heart positively melted as she looked right into his warm grey eyes. She could only nod, and he gave her a last smile before striding off to re-join the team. Lily checked her watch and drew in a sharp breath; she was going to be late for Slughorn's party if she didn't hurry. With a hurried goodbye to the team, she set off towards the castle, her thoughts all muddled up.

Why had she felt like that when Adam was speaking to her? Sure, he was a handsome boy – tall, well-built and muscular; she particularly liked the spikes in his hair near his forehead, it made him look a bit like Tintin. _My, he's gorgeous_ , she thought contentedly as she walked towards the common room. Of all the boys she'd thought of before, Adam Wright was now at the top of the list… Which was why she'd practically jumped with excitement when he'd consented to show her how he could plank so well. Who wouldn't enjoy spending some time with an attractive boy who seemed to be really nice?

A few minutes later, she'd changed into a fresh set of school robes, and was heading for Slughorn's party. She paused momentarily outside the door to Slughorn's office; she was not looking forward to spending the next couple of hours in the company of Severus, who would surely try talking to her again. Sighing, she pushed the door open and entered his office, which was once again magically enlarged.

"Ah, Lily!" boomed Slughorn as soon as she entered; as usual, there were several armchairs arranged in a circle at the centre of the room. "Come in, come in, my dear girl – everyone's here, and there's an empty seat next to Mr Snape." He gave her a meaningful look which she understood perfectly; however, to her relief, there was another empty chair next to Nathan Morgan, who was giving her an appraising sort of look. "That's all right, Professor," she said in what she hoped was a casual voice, "I'll sit here…" She made her way towards Nathan, who smiled politely as she sat down next to him. She returned his smile and felt satisfied as she noted the disappointment on Severus's face out of the corner of her eye.

"Right – anyway, make yourselves at home, all of you," said Slughorn, a little discomfited. He waved his wand once, and a plate of food appeared in front of everyone in the room. Lily took her plate and eyed it with satisfaction: there were a couple of pastries, chicken nuggets and crispy vegetables that looked stir-fried. She pierced a piece of broccoli with a fork (that had appeared along with the plate) and began to tuck in as everyone around her began to chat amongst themselves and make small talk.

"Figures," whispered Nathan from next to her, "His pot belly isn't a mystery at all!"

Lily grinned. "Yep – he really loves his puddings and desserts, doesn't he?" she said softly. Nathan nodded and said, "I wonder where he gets such a constant supply of those."

"Must have a few house-elves doing that for him, Nathan," mused Lily. Nathan grinned. "Call me Nate," he said, "Everyone does." Lily nodded, smiling as she noted his neatly-combed blond hair, high cheekbones, and the way his baby-blue eyes crinkled when he smiled. _Oh, dear_ , she thought, a little embarrassed. _Why – is it that the day I think about cute boys is the day I interact with them for the first time?_

"All right, Nate it is," she said, and his grin widened. "Your Mum is the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, right?"

"Correct – I see you pay attention to these parties just like you do in class," he responded, and she laughed. "Yeah, well – I've realized just how important observation is… It allows me to gain a lot of information just by paying more attention than I usually do," she said, and he nodded in agreement and understanding. "Did you know that the new DADA teacher was also part of the Slug Club?" he asked, and she raised her eyebrows. "No – really?" she inquired, interested.

"Yep," said Nathan, "Mum wrote to me, said that it was interesting that Pamela Burke was teaching here… Apparently, she was a couple of years behind Mum at Hogwarts. Mum reckons she's pretty smart."

"Well – she _is_ a Researcher," Lily pointed out, and Nathan grinned. "True – though I doubt how much research she's doing at Hogwarts. Unless – ahh, it's obvious, isn't it?" he said, with the air of someone who had solved the world's biggest mystery.

"Er – what?" Lily asked, nonplussed.

"She's here to collaborate with Professor Slughorn!" Nathan declared. Before Lily could question him, however, Slughorn called, "Yes, Mr Morgan?"

"Er – nothing, Sir," said Nathan, flushing a little. "I was merely telling Lily here that I think you and Professor Burke are collaborating on her research. Well, Sir – is it true?" he added eagerly.

Slughorn chuckled and said, "Very astute, my dear boy – you're quite right. Pamela and I – we _are_ collaborating, as a matter of fact…"

"On what, Sir?" a black-haired boy asked curiously.

"Er – well – top secret stuff," said Slughorn mysteriously. "I can't tell you what – but I _can_ give you a fair idea." Everyone leaned forward expectantly, and the Potions master continued, "You see – Pamela is an old student of mine. Once she graduated, I put her in touch with Godfrey Blake – then the Head of the Office of Magical Research, for I could see that she had a knack for solving complex problems. She rose through their ranks quickly, working on several things – until she and her team recently came up with an original potion called the Mejorar Potion – has anyone heard of it?"

Lily shook her head, as did most of the other students. She had no idea about this new potion…

"Right – anyway, Pamela's role in the development of that potion was significant," Slughorn continued. "Indeed, she is the probably the only one who knows the exact methodology when it comes to brewing this incredibly complicated potion –"

"But what does it _do_ , Professor?" a girl with flame-red hair asked, her hazel eyes round.

"Ahh," said Slughorn, "That's the key, isn't it? You see – this potion enhances all your abilities, including your vision, movement, hearing and smell. It also increases your body's energy output – effectively, it makes you about three times as strong a fighter."

"Wow!" Lily whispered, unable to help herself. This potion certainly seemed wonderful…

"That's right, Miss Evans," said Slughorn, giving her a genial smile. "It's a most useful little thing… Which is why, He Who Must Not Be Named and his supporters should not get their hands on it! They'd be unstoppable!" He shook his head. "Therefore, it's best that she's here now…"

"Is she in hiding, then?" a Gryffindor fifth-year she recognized as Dirk Creswell asked softly.

"Well, my dear boy, I'd hardly call it hiding, if the whole world knows where she is!" Slughorn exclaimed. "Nay, she's come here to stay safe. Poor thing, she was attacked twice by those good-for-nothing goons…"

"But Professor," interrupted a Ravenclaw fourth-year with a pale face and straw-coloured hair, "If this potion is _that_ good, why isn't it being given to everyone fighting against You-Know-Who? Surely, it would help them!"

"Ahh – if only it were that simple, son," said Slughorn, waggling his index finger. "You see – like all good things, this one too has its weaknesses… For instance – its effects are only temporary. The amount of time for which they last varies from person to person – it can be anything from one minute to five minutes. Plus, when the effects wear off, one is usually tired – which means that as soon as you take this potion, you need to get the job done within a few minutes, else – it's over."

Lily shuddered slightly, debating inwardly if the cons of this potion outweighed the pros. Nathan asked from next to her, "What if the potion is taken immediately after the effects wear off, Professor?"

"That's another problem, my dear boy," said Slughorn with a little chuckle. "Once taken, it cannot be taken again for some time – for taking too much of it causes dizziness, fainting and in severe cases, one's eyeballs to pop out."

A slightly stunned silence followed this pronouncement. Clearly, this potion was to be handled with care… On a hunch, Lily ventured, "Er – Professor? So – are you going to work with Professor Burke – to iron out the kinks in this – er, Mejorar Potion, is it?"

Slughorn chuckled richly. "I'm afraid that's all the information I can give you, Miss Evans," he said, and Lily understood at once that this was all she was going to get out of the Potions master. She nodded nonetheless, and leaned back in her armchair, deep in thought…

So, Pamela Burke had discovered this potion that enhanced strength and the senses. Well, it would certainly be useful in battle – but if its effects wore off before one's opponent was beaten, it would be close to useless… _That's obviously what Slughorn and Professor Burke are working on_ , she thought firmly. _Oh, dear – Ashley is going to be disappointed when she hears this…_

Just a week ago, Lily had provided Ashley Bond with some of the information she'd asked for. She'd heard from Liz, Marlene and James, who had written to their respective parents, that while Madam Burke was at Hogwarts, there wasn't any concrete indication that she'd been working on antidotes to obscure poisons; however, Mr Potter had felt that these things could've been happening in secret, and if the Office of Magical Research was working with the Department of Mysteries on this one, no further information could be gained – for only the Minister for Magic was privy to what went on in that particular Department.

A sudden thought occurred to Lily. What if someone else was working on the antidotes, and Madam Burke's work on them was _really_ a rumour? What if it had been started on purpose, to keep the research on antidotes a secret? _Ingenious_ , she thought admiringly. If Madam Burke had worked only on the Mejorar Potion, attributing the antidote research to her had effectively put a target on her back. Had that been deliberate? _Ooh, it's too complicated_ , she thought, frowning. Of course, given the sensitive nature of this Mejorar Potion, it wasn't surprising that its discovery wasn't front-page news – but the Dark Side had got wind of it somehow, and were plotting with interest to obtain its secret procedure…

She heard Nathan's voice, and quickly focused on him. "Sorry, what did you say?" she asked apologetically. He grinned and said, "Nothing – I was merely asking about your trip to day-dreamland." She laughed, and he added with a hint of mischief, "How was it, anything good?"

"The best," she returned dryly, before quickly changing the subject. "So – what do you think about the non-verbal spells? Got a hang of them yet?"

An hour later, she was leaving the party with Nathan, talking and laughing (she neatly sidestepped Severus near the door before exiting the office). She'd bonded well with the Ravenclaw over the course of the party, and she'd found him to be quite an interesting person… Though he knew a fair bit about Quidditch, he said that he preferred to play Wizard's Chess, and they'd spent quite some time going over the chinks in several well-established strategies such as the Brandenburg Defence, the Genoese Gambit, as well as the Stockholm Offence, the last of which Lily hadn't ever played before.

On the fourth floor, Nathan said, "Well, Lily – this is where I take my leave. Never thought you liked Wizard's Chess so much – we should play a game sometime!"

"Of course!" Lily replied with a grin, "I'd like to see that Stockholm Offence in action –"

"Yeah, but to counter that, you need to use the Magyar Fortification – there, I'm giving you a big hint!" he said, laughing. "How about Sunday afternoon, in the courtyard? If you're done with all your homework, that is," he added quickly.

"I'll make sure of it," Lily replied decisively. "And until then, I'll make sure to learn the Magyar Fortification or whatever it is… Let's see what happens!"

"Looking forward to it!" Nathan said, and with a final smile and a wave, he began to walk away. Lily lingered for a moment before beginning to make her way towards Gryffindor tower, lost in thought… But she wasn't thinking about any Chess strategies. Nay, it was Pamela Burke who was on her mind… What exactly was she doing here? If she was hiding to protect the secrets of the Mejorar Potion, who was working on the poison antidotes? And how else could she, Lily, help out Ashley Bond?

She wasn't looking where she was going, and collided into someone just as she turned a corner. "Woah, watch where you're going!" a familiar voice exclaimed, and two hands grabbed her to stop her fall. "Gavin!" she exclaimed, and the Hufflepuff Prefect smiled, as did the other Prefect, Karen Norton. "What're you doing here, Lily? It's not your night to patrol," he said curiously.

"I know – I was getting back from Slughorn's party," she explained.

"Ahh, I see. Well, see you later – 'Night!" he said, and gave her a little wave. She nodded and said, "'Night, Gavin, Karen…" Karen smiled again and returned her nod, and Lily continued on towards the common room. _That makes it three for three_ , she thought sardonically. It was certainly odd that she'd run into the three boys (quite literally in Gavin's case) she'd named as cute in her head _that very day_ … _It's like it's a sign!_ she thought… _A sign that I should maybe consider going on a date with someone again…_ She sighed; she hadn't been on a date since last December, when Hans had split up with her.

 _Well – whatever the reason, I don't mind going on a date if I like someone_ , she thought reasonably as she entered the common room. _In fact, it might even be fun…_ Spotting a familiar figure, she grinned and immediately made a beeline towards him. "Hey, Peter," she greeted the fat boy who (to her surprise) had an empty glass on the table in front of him. Peter looked up from his copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six_. "Hi, Lily," he said, wrinkling his forehead, obviously a little discomfited by her cheerful smile.

"Fancy a game of Chess, Pete?" she asked brightly, and he perked up momentarily before his shoulders drooped. "I'd love to – but I should be studying, I just can't get the hang of this Cushioning Charm Flitwick's been teaching us," he said regretfully. "Look…" He lifted one of the glasses and dropped it before saying, " _Molliare!_ " Nothing happened, however; the glass merely crashed onto the floor and broke into a thousand pieces. " _Reparo_ ," Peter said sadly, and the glass pieces quickly fused together; he lifted the glass and put it back on the table. "I've been at it all evening – but it just isn't working!" he burst out in frustration.

"Don't worry, Pete," she said soothingly, "I think I spotted what's wrong – the issue is with your wand movement! You're not whipping it quickly enough… Here, drop the glass, let me show you." He nodded and obeyed, and Lily made a whip-like motion with her wand, saying, " _Molliare!_ " The glass landed on the floor neatly, unblemished and whole. Satisfied, she grinned at Peter, who was looking at her with a mixture of admiration and envy. "How did you do that?" he asked her, a little urgently.

"Like I said, Pete – _whip_ it!" she said, showing him the correct wand movement. "According to the book, the whip has to be quick – really, _really_ quick. Make sure to keep that in mind. Here – let me drop it from more of a height to give you a little more time… _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " The glass rose about ten feet in the air, and she glanced at Peter. "Ready?" she asked, and he nodded tersely. She lifted her Charm, and the glass began to hurtle towards the floor –

" _Molliare!_ " Peter said, whipping his wand all he could – and just like it had for Lily, the glass landed on the floor softly, unbroken and whole. "I did it!" Peter exclaimed gleefully, "I did it – thank you, thanks!" And to her surprise, the fat boy pulled her into a happy hug. "Er – no problem," she said, a little disconcerted but patting his back all the same, gratified.

Peter drew back and looked at her awkwardly. "Er – sorry – I didn't –" he began, lowering his eyes, and she laughed. "That's quite all right, Pete," she said, ruffling his hair, and he cheered up at once. "D'you want to go again?"

Fifteen minutes later, after Peter could perform the Charm even when the glass was dropped from a mere three feet, he gave Lily a grateful smile. "Thanks," he said again, and she grinned back at him. "Now – about that Chess game – d'you still want to play?"

"You bet," Lily replied, "And I'd like a little favour, Peter –"

"Anything you want!" he exclaimed, and her grin widened. "Great, can you teach me what a Magyar Fortification is?" she asked, and he nodded eagerly. "It's a defensive manoeuvre – needs some time to set up, and can be breached by the Skopje Opening – but once executed, your defence is almost impregnable – unless _you_ mess up, that is," he added. "I can show you now, if you like – make sure to attack me with everything you have, and you'll see how good it is!"

"And how does it do against a Stockholm Offence?" she asked him, having just remembered the name of the strategy Nathan Morgan had mentioned. Peter's face grew thoughtful, and he said, "I'd say they're pretty even – but an aggressive Stockholm Offence can easily break the Magyar Fortification if executed correctly. The Nile Defence counters it, though…" He scratched his chin and added, "Yeah, it should – it's the most defensive strategy, counters almost everything… At the very least, it delays your opponent enough for you to launch a counterattack."

 _That prat – he nearly tricked me!_ Lily thought, a little miffed. Then a smile came to her face; she had to admire Nathan's cheek… Her smile turned wicked. _I'll show that ectoplasm_ , she thought determinedly. _I'll just learn the Nile Defence… Oh, isn't he in for a surprise!_

"Er – what're you smiling about?" Peter asked her curiously, and she quickly shook her head. "Nothing," she said, and Summoned her rather battered Chess set towards them. It had been a present from Liz, Marlene and Mary, back in her first year – which explained its less-than-pristine state, but Lily liked it very much; it had tremendous sentimental value. She set it up on the table and picked to go with the white pieces. "Right," she said, "I'm going to attack – now, show me the Nile Defence."

"With pleasure," he responded, and they began to play…

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Saturday afternoon found Lily waiting at the Quidditch pitch in a state of nervous anticipation. She'd run into Adam the day before, and they'd decided to meet at the pitch at two o'clock, an hour before the team practice. Lily had arrived there at quarter-to-two, however… She hadn't wanted to be late; but being early didn't help with the nervousness at all.

 _Why in the world am I nervous?_ she thought for the umpteenth time, searching for an answer… And like all the times she'd thought of that, nothing came to her. Was it the fact that she was going to meet someone who was going to give her tips about fitness? _Nah, that can't be it_ , she thought. Was it because she didn't really know Adam Wright much? _Maybe_ , she thought… _Nah, definitely. Make that definitely – I hardly know anything about the bloke!_ She fervently wished that she'd asked Jane about Adam; he was a complete mystery to her, and it didn't help that he was so bloody handsome…

The sight of a distant figure walking towards the pitch made her breathe a little faster. She quickly adjusted her hair, and tried to look like she'd arrived just a minute ago rather than fifteen… Up close, she noted that Adam was wearing his scarlet-and-gold Quidditch robes and was carrying his broomstick – clearly, he wanted to save time so that he could practise with his teammates immediately upon their arrival.

"Hi," she said, smiling in welcome as he came up to her. He smiled back at her a little uncertainly, and replied, "Hello – how are you?" He held out his hand, and she shook it, saying, "Fine, and you?"

"Not bad," he said. "So – what is it you wanted to know?"

"Er," she began, not expecting that question so soon after he'd come; she thought he'd make some small talk, but apparently, that wasn't the case. "I guess – I wanted to know how you can – er, plank so well."

"Like I said before, practice," he replied, grinning. "Here, hold this – I'll show you." He gave her his broom, and got down into a perfectly streamlined planking position. "Now," he said, "It's quite easy – all you have to do is make sure that your weight distributes evenly throughout your body."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"Er – you space your arms out a little, and try to maintain a neutral position with your spine," he replied, a little breathlessly. "That means, no need to tense your back – just relax, and you'll be fine!"

Lily pulled out her stopwatch, and looked on in wonder as Adam held his plank past two minutes before pulling himself up. "Don't want to tire myself out before practice," he said lightly. "Now – would you like to try?"

"Sure," she said eagerly, passing his broom back to him and getting into position. He clicked the stopwatch, and Lily's muscles began to scream in protest as the seconds crept by… But she held her position. "Relax your back," Adam advised, "You're too tense – here." He lightly tapped the small of her back, and she felt a tingling sensation on her skin right where he'd tapped her. What was that all about? She quickly focused on what he was saying and relaxed her back – and, to her surprise, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her muscles. Oh, she was still straining herself – but she could still hold on for a few more seconds, until she flopped down on the grass, panting.

"One minute and ten seconds," Adam announced, clicking her stopwatch. "That's excellent!" He grinned, and Lily noted that his grey eyes were alight with merriment. She sat up, and he sat down on the grass next to her. "Thanks!" she exclaimed, beaming, "With just one tip, you increased my time by ten seconds!"

"There's still scope for more," he said with a little smirk, "That's enough for now, perhaps we can plank again after a few minutes… But for a start, this was great!" He turned away and gazed into the distance. Lily's gaze went to his muscular arms and deep chest, and to her chagrin, she realized that she was blushing.

"What're you thinking?" she asked him instead. He turned back to her and said, "Oh – nothing. Nothing, really…"

"C'mon, you can tell me," she said playfully, taking a loose strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear, hoping that he caught the little action. "What's on your mind?"

He took a deep breath. "I wasn't sure – if you were going to show," he said slowly, before looking away once again, as if regretting his candour. She wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Why would you think that?" she asked curiously.

He considered. "Well – I dunno," he said, looking suddenly unsure. "Er – you see – er –"

"Yes?" she prompted.

"Well – it's just that – whenever a girl speaks to me, it's usually just to ask me for a date or something," he said unwillingly. "Don't get me wrong, I _do_ have several friends who are girls – but they're people who have grown up with me, and know me well. When someone I barely know approaches me – there's a strong chance that she's just going to ask me out."

"I see," she said slowly, mulling over all this, "Er – but how is that related to you thinking that I won't come here today?"

"You're the first girl in a long time – who has asked me a perfectly casual question," he said with a little smile. "Of course, that doesn't include my friends… But you asked me about planking, and I'm not used to girls asking me for advice about exercise."

She grinned. "Well, I guess I'm different," she said mischievously.

"Clearly," he responded with a touch of sarcasm, and she laughed. He seemed to be opening up a little more – she was starting to feel that all those rumours about him being 'unapproachable' were unsubstantiated; here was a perfectly nice bloke she was enjoying a conversation with.

"So – what sparked your interest in Quidditch?" she asked him, and felt heartened as his smile widened. "Oh, I've been watching it ever since I was in my nappies," he replied, and she laughed again as she tucked her hair behind her ear once more. "My Dad loves it – he's a referee with the British and Irish Quidditch League, that gave me a lot of free passes to matches."

"That's nice," she said, smiling politely. Judging by his knowing grin, he'd probably understood that she was resigning herself to a long discourse on Quidditch, for he said, "It was, certainly – but I'm not going to bore you with all the great matches I've attended, I get the feeling that you've already been treated to that several times already."

"How did you know?" she asked, blushing. It was true that she'd asked him about Quidditch in an attempt to get him talking a little, and she'd been surprised by his unexpected display of tact. He grinned and said, "Well – you've been practising with us for a year now, so I'd be remiss if I didn't know that Liz and Marlene are close friends of yours. Plus, you're courteous with James, too – and I know for a fact that once those three and Sirius start talking about Quidditch, they won't stop until the end of time."

She snickered in amusement; she couldn't deny that she'd felt like that a few times. "You're not far from wrong," she admitted, and he gave her a smile that was slightly smug. "How're you finding sixth year?" he asked, "Change from OWL to NEWT, isn't it?"

"You can say that again," she replied, sighing. "I'm still having some trouble with non-verbal spells –"

"Yeah, that can happen – don't worry, just stick at it, and you'll get there," he said reassuringly. "What subjects are you taking?"

She listed her subjects one by one, and he nodded. "I'm taking them all, too – except Arithmancy, that is. Trust me – it may be tough at the start, but it gets easier as the year goes on, especially after you get used to the non-verbal spells."

"I hope so," she said fervently. "Transfiguration is tough, though – I spent a lot of free periods last year studying it, and got an 'E' – but now I'm afraid that I may have set the standard too high, and that I'm going to mess up this year."

"You'll be fine," he said confidently. "I know that you're one of the top students in your year – aren't you?"

"Er – I do all right," she said modestly, and he snorted. "If 'all right' means _six_ 'O' OWLs – then sure, you do _all right_ ," he said sardonically, and she raised her eyebrows. "How d'you know that?" she asked, frowning a little.

Adam grinned. "Don't you remember? Last week's practice – when James shouted, 'Give me five more push-ups, Lily! Just because you got six 'O's doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you!' at you?" he said, and Lily's frown vanished at once. The bloke had an excellent memory, by the looks of it… Laughing again, she said, "Oh, yeah! Ugh – James, he's an idiot sometimes!" Adam laughed with her, and a silence fell between them.

"Er – d'you want to plank again?" he asked tentatively, and she responded by jumping right up. "Yep," she said, and got into the planking position again – but this time, she could only do a minute and six seconds, which Adam declared wasn't bad at all, considering she'd planked last just half an hour before. They chatted for some more time and made plans to meet every Saturday at the same time for some more planking practice, until the rest of the team arrived, wearing their scarlet-and-gold robes and clutching their broomsticks.

"Lily!" greeted James with a grin, "You're early – an eager beaver, aren't you?"

She grinned back at him; deciding not to trouble him with the purpose of her presence on the pitch an hour early, she said instead, "Well – I do want to get fitter, don't I?" He seemed to accept that reply, though Liz did shoot her a curious look. Lily silently gritted her teeth; she was sure that she would be subject to rigorous questioning from Liz in the near future. With a sideways grin at Adam, she joined the team in their pre-practice fitness routine, dutifully planking once more before waving them goodbye and making her way back towards the castle and the pile of homework that awaited her…

But as she bent over her books, her thoughts weren't on the Transfiguration essay due on Monday. Nay, she was thinking about a certain Gryffindor seventh-year with brown hair, grey eyes and bulging muscles… _He's really handsome_ , she thought dreamily. _And he's nice, too – but mostly handsome!_

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"Hi," Lily greeted Nathan Morgan in the courtyard the next afternoon, carrying her Wizard's Chess set and followed by a most unusual companion – Peter. Lily had only told him about her upcoming game with Nathan, and the chubby boy had immediately been interested to see it. Lily hadn't been able to refuse politely, and besides, she didn't mind, so she'd let him tag along.

"Hello," he said, grinning back at her, before his gaze went to Peter; Lily saw a momentary flicker of disappointment in his baby-blue eyes, but it was gone immediately. "Good to see you, Pettigrew," he said courteously, and Peter nervously shook his outstretched hand, saying, "Likewise."

"Now – let's get down to business, shall we?" he asked, and she nodded. They found a table, and he set up his own chessboard. "I'll take white, shall I?" he said, and she nodded in assent. "Remember – you're going to show me the Stockholm Offence," she reminded, "'Coz I spent some time learning the Magyar Fortification – Peter here's been teaching me." Peter gave her a little smile, as though the acknowledgement of his help was something he wasn't used to. She returned his grin before turning back to Nathan, who said, "Oh! All right, then… Let's see, d4."

"Right – d5," she said, and her Queen's pawn moved forward two spaces; the game had begun. Peter sat quietly as the opening progressed, watching with interest as Nathan advanced with his Kingside pieces as expected, explaining each move to her in detail; she defended just as Peter had instructed, building a diagonal wall with her pawns and using her knights to counter the threat from his bishops. Peter had briefly explained to her how a Stockholm Offence worked, but this lesson from Nathan was certainly interesting and informative; he seemed to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Chess tactics and strategies – indeed, even Peter seemed to be drinking in all the information that was being provided to them.

About twenty moves into the game, though, Nathan suddenly stopped and said, "I think that's enough of a tutorial – how about a real game now?" He smiled in anticipation, and Lily replied, "Yes, sure – why not?" After all, that was the whole point – both of them wanted to see how good the other was. "Great – you take white this time," he said, and turned the chessboard. She nodded in assent and said, "All right – e4."

She had already decided what she was going to do; it went against her usual style of play, but she was going to play a defensive game this time. She set the Nile Defence in motion, and noted Peter's approving grin; she knew then that she was doing fine. Nathan attacked – and attacked hard, but she was able to hold her position. Gradually, she gained an advantage, and advanced her castle and pawns slowly but surely; he was up to the task, though, and his bishops were a great nuisance to her, culminating with a bishop-for-castle exchange that went his way and rendered the honours even.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily noticed Liz's arrival. "Hey – what're you doing?" she asked, stealing a glance at Nathan and giving Lily a suggestive sort of grin. "What does it look like?" Lily responded, "I'm playing Chess… Now, bugger off – I need to concentrate if I'm to beat this clown." Nathan looked up briefly, and she saw the amusement in his baby-blue eyes. "Bishop to h5," he said, and that brought Lily's attention back to the game.

"Right," said Liz, and Lily could hear the undercurrent of mirth in her voice, "Well – I'll see you in the common room. Hey, Peter," she added, and the fat boy waved at her as she left their table; Lily had a nasty suspicion that Liz's face contained an evil grin. _Oh, no – I'm going to get teased for this_ , she thought resignedly, before pushing it out of her mind. She'd think about that later…

Half an hour later, a voice said, "C'mon, Lily – play the knight to f2! Even _I_ know you've almost won!"

She looked up to find James; he had his usual crooked grin on his face, but something was different about it; it didn't quite reach his eyes. She shook her head and said, "Oh, go away – even an idiot can see that if I play the knight there, it's a stalemate!"

"I think he's right," said Nathan, much to her surprise. "This position looks more like a draw than anything else – it's pretty even." Lily followed his gaze, and slowly came to the same conclusion. "A draw, then," she said, and Nathan grinned. "Yep – good game! I didn't think you'd use the Nile Defence so well!" He stood up, and she imitated him – so did Peter. "Well, this was fun – d'you want to play next Sunday, too? I finally have a challenging opponent!"

"Peter's better than her," James put in quickly. She gave him a glare, but he remained unaffected. "What? It's true!" he said, shrugging.

"Rather Lily than me," Peter said, shaking his head. "I'm barely keeping my head above water with academics as it is – but Lily, she gets her homework done so fast, it's scary!"

"Yeah – I figured," said Nathan, grinning at her; she blushed and said quickly, "Fine… See you next Sunday – same time, right here!"

He mock-saluted her and waved at the others (only Peter waved back at him) before taking his chessboard and walking away. As soon as he was out of earshot, James asked, "Since when d'you play Chess with Morgan?"

"Since today," she responded. "I got tired of losing to Peter," she added dryly, and the fat boy looked alarmed. "You'll still play with me, right?" he asked her with trepidation, and she rolled her eyes. "Of course, Pete!" she reassured, and he looked relieved at once. Turning to James, she asked, "What're you doing here?"

"I was – er, looking for Pete," he replied, a little flustered. "Sirius says he's going to get the house-elves make some kind of special dessert – he's in the kitchens with Remus, so I came to find Peter."

"What kind of dessert?" Peter asked immediately, smacking his lips. James grinned and said, "You'll find out soon! Coming?" he added to her. She shook her head and said, "Nah – go ahead. It's been pointed out to me that I don't exercise enough to work off desserts – so, I'm still avoiding them." He looked at her a little guiltily, and she gave him a little smile. "Oh, just go!" she said, and with a final grin in her direction, he hurried away with Peter in his wake.

Lily slowly made her way to the common room. _That went well_ , she thought with satisfaction. She'd spent some time with a couple of really, _really_ cute boys – and she'd enjoyed herself, too! They both seemed to be a lot of fun, and she was already looking forward to the next weekend, where she'd be working on her planking with Adam, and playing another game of Chess with Nathan. Her thoughts immediately went to Liz, from whom she'd carefully withheld her planned exploits… _Oh, she's going to be annoying_ , she thought, shaking her head as she entered the common room. Sighing, she began to make her way upstairs. _Best get it over with…_

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	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews, ShashankRaj, CB, Theblessedchild and Nupurlath. Cheers!

 **ShashankRaj:** Well, here you go, another chapter!

 **CB:** I know that, believe it or not. However, it is certainly plausible to like/respect athletes who may be of your age, give or take a few years. My dad, for instance, likes Sachin Tendulkar, who is arguably one of the best batsmen to ever play cricket, and he's older than Sachin. That's why, I think Lily's Dad admiring Muhammad Ali (he was known as Muhammad Ali after 1964, and this year, Lily's sixth, is set in 1976) is definitely plausible. Do you agree?

 **Theblessedchild:** Thank you so much, it is certainly very kind of you to say that, and actually thank me for doing something I really enjoy!

Nupurlath: Thank you so much! I am flattered, you're too kind, really. I would encourage you to read several other fanfiction stories without comparing them to any others; each story on this site is a work of art in its own right. It's very kind of you to say that you find this story as good as the actual books. Your review totally made my day! I will definitely try to update as fast as I can, but there is only so much time I can spare for it, and sometimes I need a flash of inspiration as well. Also, the reason your review was invisible initially was because it's a guest review, and those need to be approved by me (I approve those in a heartbeat, anyway); so, it was very nice of you to open an account on this site just to post a review. Thanks! And finally, it's not _guys_ … Just, guy. :-P

Hello everyone, here is chapter seven. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Seven**

" **Black and James saved you."**

"Here – I think that should do it," said James one Sunday afternoon in mid-October. He held up the parchment he was carrying with an air of satisfaction; Sirius took it from him and surveyed it with a critical eye. "Yes – looks OK to me," he said finally, "But I'm still going to double-check."

"I'd expect nothing less, Padfoot – our work _has_ to be perfect," said James, nodding at his best friend. Sirius snorted and said, "C'mon, mate – nothing's perfect! I think we should be satisfied with doing the best we can, and keep in mind that while it won't be perfect, it'll still be bloody damn good!"

"Cheers, mate," said James, grinning. "So – we have the first and second floors mapped out, and here's the third which you're going to double-check. I think we're making good progress…"

"Seconded," said Sirius, clapping him on the back. He surveyed the parchment again, and his face brightened. "Hey! Is this a new shortcut?" he asked, pointing. James grinned and said smugly, "Yep – found it after one of the portraits told me that people occasionally enter that blank wall, so I tried it out!"

"Nice going," said Sirius appreciatively. "Great – I'll check these out and meet you back at the common room."

"How about the Hospital Wing instead?" James suggested. "I'm bringing Moony his Transfiguration stuff; I dunno why the prat insists on working so soon after dealing with his furry little problem. I mean, he was not himself less than twenty-four hours ago!" He shook his head in disbelief at Remus's studious tendencies.

"C'mon, cut him some slack, Prongs," said Sirius, "You know how he is – and you know that this year isn't the easiest, really…"

"Yeah, yeah – all right," said James, shrugging his shoulders. Sirius grinned as his voice dropped down to a whisper. "I've thought of something really cool… How about – we go to Hogsmeade next month?"

"There's a visit already planned in three weeks, I think – so what's so cool about that?" James replied, wrinkling his forehead.

Sirius shook his head and said, "You know, I used to think that you're thick only when it comes to Evans – but clearly, Pete's rubbing off on you."

"OI!" James exclaimed, and gave his friend a little shove, and Sirius stumbled back, laughing. "What d'you mean, then?" he added, bewildered.

"I mean," said Sirius in a conspiratorial whisper, "On the night of the next full moon, we should go to Hogsmeade. There – that clear enough for you?"

"What?" James breathed, his mouth open. "You're _kidding_ , right? Padfoot – letting a werewolf lose in a village full of _people_ –"

"We're not going to let him loose, idiot!" Sirius exclaimed. "You and I – we're big enough to keep him in check – we'll make sure he stays close to us at all times!"

"But –"

"C'mon, James – don't you think Moony is bored of just loafing around in the forest? I think he needs a new place to explore. In fact, we all need a new place to explore," Sirius said persuasively.

"Fine," said James softly, after a minute of deep thought, "We'll go from the forest up to Hogsmeade – but that's it. We see the houses, we turn back."

"Fair enough," said Sirius, nodding in agreement. "And if that goes well, we can explore more of the village next month…"

"Ugh, one bleeding thing at a time, Padfoot!" James said exasperatedly, and watched his best mate grin widely. "Knew I'd make you see sense!" he said happily, and James shook his head. "That's what I'm afraid of," he said tersely.

"Lighten up – we have nearly a month to prepare," said Sirius cheerfully, patting his back. Before James could retort, however, he spotted Peter walking up to them. "About time," he said, before turning to Sirius. "Didn't you have to recheck my work?"

"Oh – right," said Sirius, looking a little confused at the dismissal, but taking it in stride. He gave the morose-looking Peter a little wave before setting off, parchment in hand. James waited until he'd turned the corner, before asking Peter in an undertone, "Well, Pete? What have you found out?"

"Er," began Peter, uncomfortably, "Er – it was the usual, mate… They played a game, and she won… I tell you, she executed the Magyar Fortification to perfection this time –"

"Yeah, never mind that," interrupted James. "What did she talk about with him? How did they seem? Did that bloke ask her out on a date?"

"Er – no," said Peter, looking as though he'd happily be anywhere else but there. "He hasn't… By the looks of it, they're just friends, mate. I don't think he's going to ask her – though they did seem to be having a good time, they were laughing and chatting about things –"

"What kind of things?" James asked aggressively, and Peter actually took a step back. "The usual," he said, "Lessons, some Quidditch, a little about the war – and Chess, too."

"Right – then maybe Morgan isn't after her," said James, feeling a little reassured. "If he wanted to ask her out, he'd have done it by now… Which leaves – Wright. What have you found out on that front, Wormtail?"

"Er – about that," said Peter unwillingly, "Er – he did ask her if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him –"

" _And she said?_ " James asked, drawing in a sharp breath and praying that the answer wasn't what he feared it would be. Please, no, he thought desperately.

"Er – she –"

"What?" James snapped, and Peter took another step back. "Easy there, James," he said nervously, and James regretted his rashness at once. "Sorry," he said quickly, "What did she say, Pete?"

"Er – she said yes," said Peter, looking as though each word was being forced out of him, against his will. "I'm sorry, Prongs," he added apologetically. "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear…"

"No – tell me, tell me everything," James pressed. He was trying extremely hard to push away the impulse to kick Adam Wright off the team… _That interfering pithecanthropus_ , he thought, his eyes narrowed. _Just when I was making progress…_

"You sure?" Peter asked nervously, and James gave him a firm nod. "OK, then," he continued, "He asked her yesterday, and she blushed before saying yes. By the looks of it, she's enjoying spending time with him… They weren't half cosy yesterday, all laughing and joking while they exercised. I think she likes him, too…"

"Dammit – this isn't how this was supposed to go," said James, more to himself than to Peter. Looking up at his friend, he said with as much kindness as he could muster, "You did well, Pete – that's all, no need to keep tabs on them anymore."

"Really? That's great, I was afraid I'd start falling behind my work," said Peter, a relieved smile on his face, which faded as he added, "And besides – I didn't feel comfortable doing it, James… She's _my_ friend, too."

"I know, mate," said James, clapping Peter on the back. "I only asked you 'coz you're the only one who can do it, you're tiny enough to escape notice when you're a rat! And besides, I am coaching you, aren't I? Like I said – you were doing me a favour, so making sure that your schoolwork didn't suffer was my responsibility."

"I'm glad it was," said Peter fervently. "Well – I know that Sirius is better at talking about this stuff, but don't worry about it, mate," he added comfortingly, "There are other girls – several ones who would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend."

"Really?" James said, feeling a little better for the first time since Peter had relayed the most unwelcome news he'd received since his parents' kidnapping. Peter grinned and said, "Oh, of course, mate! You're Quidditch Captain and you're one of the top students in the school! Trust me, they'd be queuing up to go out with you!" He clapped James on the back.

"Yeah – thing is, there's only _one_ girl I want to go out with, Pete," said James, attempting to smile and failing. "And her saying yes to another bloke – well, let's just say that it's not what I thought would happen, especially with us becoming friends and all…"

"I know," said Peter. "Anyway – c'mon, let's go to the kitchens. There's nothing like some treacle tart to cheer you up…"

"I'm supposed to bring Moony his Transfiguration stuff," said James, and Peter grinned. "Moony can wait another half an hour – this is more important. Now, c'mon – let's go and eat."

"Why don't you just say _you_ want to eat, mate?" James asked, amused. Peter's grin widened and he said, "Well – that didn't last very long, did it? Ahh, trust me, mate – you'll feel better. Food always makes one feel better."

"Can't argue with that," said James, and allowed Peter to lead the way towards the kitchens. "Oh, and one more thing – not a word about this to Padfoot or Moony. I don't think Moony would approve, and Padfoot will just scoff at me for – you know." He grimaced.

"For pining after just one girl?" Peter asked, his mouth twitching. "Don't worry, Prongs… Like I said at least ten times before, our secret is safe with me. No one will know how you bribed me to spy on Lily while she was having fun with a couple of blokes…"

"Yeah – you'll get your Chocoballs soon, mate," said James, rolling his eyes. Peter nodded happily, and they proceeded to walk the rest of the way in silence. _Dammit_ , thought James despairingly. _I really thought I was making progress… Why did I tell her I was through asking her out? That was basically withdrawing from the race to date her! C'mon, Potter_ , he thought angrily. _How could you have been so blind? She's frightfully intelligent, funny, vivacious and beautiful… Oh, she's perfect. How did I ever think that she wouldn't start going out with someone before she liked me back? This is a disaster…_

"Gah!" he exclaimed, startling Peter. "What? What is it?" the fat boy asked, and James shook his head. "Nothing," he said, attempting to smile; however, he must've looked like he had a bad toothache, for Peter awkwardly patter his arm and said, "C'mon, mate – I know it's going to hurt, but trust me, you'll feel better. I can tell you that from experience…"

"What d'you mean?" James asked, distracted. Peter grimaced and said, "Well, you know – I've had a crush on Mary since ages, and she's been completely oblivious… Except for that time in third year when I tried to kiss her, when you and Padfoot put Firewhiskey in my drink?" He gave James a sideways glance, and James felt abashed. "Sorry," he said in a small voice, but Peter grinned. "Nah, don't worry about it… My point is, I used to like Mary for the better part of the last three years… But I never had the guts to tell her. She's always been nice to me, mate – and I don't want to change that."

He paused, but James didn't break the silence. He continued, "Anyway – when she started to date Hathaway last year, I was really upset. Don't you remember that?"

"I do – but you always said it was because you were worried about failing your OWLs, and not getting the Animagus transformation right," replied James thoughtfully, trying to recall the memory. "So – you were upset about Mary? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was sure you lot would've made fun of me," Peter replied. "Besides, I had enough on my mind – so, I just concentrated really hard on the Animagus stuff, and by February, I was doing just as well as you and Padfoot." There was a distinct note of pride in his voice, and James clapped him on the back. "Well – that explains your drastic improvement," he said, nodding.

Peter grinned. "I guess what I'm trying to say is – don't worry, it gets better. You'll feel bad for a while, but if you move on sooner rather than later, it'll help… And I'm not telling you to stop being friends with her," he added, shaking his head, "No, nothing like that… Just – just keep in mind that if you like some other girl, don't hesitate to ask her out on a date. I was too cowardly to do that… But you're braver than I am, and I don't doubt that you'll find someone else who likes you back."

"I don't want someone else, Pete – I want her," said James hopelessly. "Blimey, don't you understand? She's the only one I want to date!"

"It's a two-way street, Prongs," Peter said gently. James mulled over this for a few seconds before an unwilling smile came onto his face. He clapped Peter on the back again and said, "You know, mate – I guess I needed to hear that. Since when did you become so smart?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with smartness, mate," said Peter, grinning. "I see and I hear things, and I'm free to draw my own conclusions from them – wherever that applies. Which is why, I'm telling you… Just – get on with your life, OK? It's not like Wright has asked her to marry him, is it? There's a lot of things that could happen – be patient, and give it time."

"Thanks, Peter," said James sincerely. Peter was right; if she didn't reciprocate his feelings, there really was no point going after her. He'd hoped she'd start liking him after he'd vowed to stop pestering her… But that wasn't in his control, was it? _I'll have a chat with Sirius and Remus later_ , he decided firmly. _See what they think… I'll have to be careful that I don't reveal how I know Wright asked her out, though…_

Peter grinned and said, "Sure – no problem! Now, let's have that treacle tart – we're almost there!" He pointed to the painting of the fruit bowl at the end of the corridor, and James realised with a jolt that they'd arrived at the kitchens. How had they gotten here so fast?

"Right," he said, regaining some of his cheer. "C'mon, then…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fact that Lily had agreed to go out on a date with Adam Wright became common knowledge over the next few days. James suspected that it had to be Jane Carter; he knew that she was a bit of a gossip, and news like these didn't escape her notice – indeed, he supposed that she'd overheard Lily tell Liz or someone else… _And once that happens, nothing more needs to be said_ , he thought, shaking his head.

Sirius and Remus had immediately checked on him once they'd heard, and he'd needed some persuasion to tell them his true feelings about the whole business. He could proudly say, though, that he was taking it in stride… Oh, it wasn't easy, but he couldn't appear weak in front of Lily; that would defeat the whole purpose of his declaration to her last year, wouldn't it? And so, he went about his business trying his best to remain unaffected: he still jogged with Lily almost every morning, and continued to help her with her fitness at Quidditch practice. He noted with pride that she was showing a lot of improvement, and unwillingly ignored the passing glances she and Wright kept giving each other… But he couldn't help being a little cold towards his Keeper, something which Sirius, Liz and Marlene caught on to, and told him to stop it after sympathizing with him.

He hadn't given Lily any indication that he knew about assent to go out with Wright, though. It still made him feel upset and angry, but he swallowed his emotions… Being friends with her was the top priority, and he didn't want to ruin that. And so, after their jogs around the pitch, he kept the conversation light, mainly directed towards classes and academics. She'd confided in him that she wasn't comfortable with non-verbal spells in Transfiguration yet, and he'd given her some tips that had helped. _Anything to avoid discussing Wright_ , he thought grimly.

But on Hallowe'en morning, she'd broached the subject of Adam bloody Wright herself. "So, James," she said as they walked towards the Great Hall at the end of their jog, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you." She looked unsure of herself, as though weighing whether to tell him or not, and James gave an inward sigh. He knew where this was going… Biting back a wisecrack ("I told you I'm irresistible! Finally realised it, have you?"), he merely looked at her inquiringly.

"Er," she said, "Well… Adam asked me out on a date – Hogsmeade weekend. And I… I said yes." Her words came out in a rush. James frowned. "So?" he asked in what he hoped was a politely interested tone, though it was taking him every ounce of self-control he possessed to bite back a cutting remark.

"Er – I just thought you should know," Lily replied, clearly confused with his lack of reaction.

"Why?" James asked, a little more aggressively than he'd intended, causing her to frown, too. "It isn't my business who you date… Is it?"

"Er – I'm tempted to say no," said Lily, "But since you've played on the same team for two years, I was – I was curious as to – what you think."

He turned to face her, and caught a searching look in her emerald-green eyes. He understood: she was trying to gauge if he still liked her, and how he was taking the news… _Well, I've never felt the need to hide my emotions_ , he thought. _Until now…_ There was no way he was going to let her know his real feelings. He kept an impassive expression on his face as he asked, "Er – why are you asking me? Isn't Jane the authority when it comes to – er, people?" That got a little smile out of Lily, and he felt proud that his tone was still pleasant.

"What I'll get from Jane is information," she said, "But from you – I want an _opinion_ … Er – 'coz we're – we're friends." She sounded discomfited; clearly, she'd sensed that something wasn't right, that he was proving to be curiously difficult to talk to about this. He sighed; if he kept this up, there was a chance that she'd understand his real state of mind, and he couldn't have that… "Oh, all right," he replied with a wry smile, relenting at last as they entered the Great Hall. "About Wright – well, he's an excellent Keeper, and from what I know, he's a good student, too. He's quiet… But when he talks during practice, he usually has an interesting insight to share. He's a good sort." It was true, after all; Adam was certainly an asset to the team, and overall, a pleasant person to have around.

Lily's face relaxed visibly. "I'm glad you approve," she said, before clapping her hand to her mouth. James grinned and said, "Well, that's a first – I never thought you'd come to me, seeking approval –"

"Ugh," she groaned, before hitting him on the arm. "I didn't mean to say that –"

"But why is it important to you that I approve?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing, I – I dunno," she said, and James could see that she was telling the truth. "So, what about you? D'you have a date to Hogsmeade?" He could see that she wanted to change the subject, and he decided to go with it – anything to avoid talking about Wright. "Nah," he responded with a shake of his head as they entered the Great Hall, "I'm going to spend it with my mates – it's more fun than going on a date."

He regretted that last bit as she gave him a confused look but thankfully decided to ignore that. "C'mon – I bet there's a lot of girls who'd go out with you in a heartbeat," she said as they took seats at the Gryffindor table.

"People keep saying that," said James truthfully, buttering up his bread and giving Lily another wry smile. "But I dunno – I just don't think it's a good idea to date –"

"After spending the last two years chasing me?" Lily interrupted shrewdly, a glint in her emerald-green eyes as she chewed her scrambled eggs. Completely thrown, James exclaimed, "Er – no! Nothing like that!" He felt disbelief, though; her guess had been perilously close to the real reason: that he was still harbouring feelings for her, but he'd rather eat rat droppings before telling her that.

"Sure," Lily responded in a tone that made it perfectly clear that she didn't believe him one bit. Then her voice softened. "Look, James – if you're not looking to date someone out of respect for my feelings or something as preposterous – forget it," she said firmly, and she actually placed her hand over his. "If you start going out with some girl only months after asking me out, honestly – it doesn't matter; I won't think that you're a flirting Casanova, or something like that." She smiled slightly and added, " _I_ said no to _you_ , didn't I?"

They were into awkward territory again, and James didn't know how to sidestep this question. "Er – yes," he said finally, and she nodded in agreement before saying, "Look – I wouldn't mind at all if you start going out with someone else. Why should I? It's your life, after all."

"So, just to be clear – you think the reason I'm not dating is out of respect for your feelings?" James asked her, fighting to keep himself from snorting. "Er, yes," she responded, with a little blush on her cheek, "Isn't it?"

He smirked slightly; she'd completely misread him, but if she thought that was the reason, he was fine going along with it. "You're right," he said, with a smile about as real as the possibility of Leprechaun gold being used as money, "That is the reason… And if you're OK with that, I may just say yes to the next girl who asks me out."

"Great – that's the spirit," Lily responded brightly, as Liz, Marlene and Remus joined them. James immediately engaged Liz in a discussion of Puddlemere United's victory against the Appleby Arrows over the weekend, glad for an excuse to stop talking about Lily's social life…

He wasn't really paying attention to Liz's take on the strength of Puddlemere's Chasers this season; he simply nodded distractedly as she fretted over the possibility of Harrison being benched after a mediocre performance in the match against the Arrows… Nay, his thoughts were elsewhere. He was starting to feel morose again… Lily had told him that it didn't matter to her who he dated. Clearly, she didn't feel about him the way he felt about her… Well, maybe he was better off dating someone else after all. He shook his head and gave Liz an inattentive sort of smile, hoping that she wouldn't notice his disinterest…

He brooded over the same thoughts for the rest of the day. He acted falsely cheerful throughout the delicious Hallowe'en feast that evening, forcing himself to laugh at Sirius's jokes and ribbing Peter about the Shield Charm he'd cast in DADA that day (Peter hadn't been very confident about his ability to cast the Charm non-verbally, and had reacted instinctively by shouting "Protego!" when Remus had shot a Disarming Charm at him, causing his wand to fly out of his hand and hit Professor Burke right on her nose). But his mind was elsewhere… By the looks of it, the door had closed on anything happening between himself and Lily, and it was a big, big blow.

He somehow found it in himself to tell Sirius about all this the next day, and his best mate had been most sympathetic – even offering to use a couple of creative Hexes on Adam Wright, but James had declined. The match against Slytherin was too close – it was going to take place that weekend – and he didn't want any of his teammates sidelined due to other teammates, however tempting that may have been in case of the Keeper…

Finally, at the end of the last practice before the match (a particularly rough one where they flew for almost three hours straight, with no breaks), James gathered the team around himself in the centre of the Quidditch pitch. "Well, everyone," he said proudly, "I am quite satisfied with the level of our gameplay. Slytherin may have surprised us last year – their Chasers were on par with ours, something that isn't a very common occurrence – but this year, we're going to trounce them! Gryffindor for the Cup!" he yelled, and there was an answering 'Yeah!' from the rest of the team – reserves and Lily included.

James had been surprised that she'd stayed till the end of practice – she rarely did so, and with a sinking feeling, he realized that it was due to Wright, obviously. "Right – disperse," he said shortly, and his teammates began to move towards the changing rooms, talking tiredly amongst themselves. Lily and Wright lingered, talking quietly amongst themselves – James felt a horrible pang of envy when he heard Lily's tinkling laugh, presumably at something Wright said… He resisted the urge to throttle his Keeper before turning away from the pair of them and beginning to walk towards the changing rooms.

He reminded everyone to be there by ten-thirty (for the eleven o'clock start of the match) and watched as his teammates dispersed, with Sirius walking between Marlene and Liz, an arm around each of their shoulders. He shook his head; the art of charming girls came easily to his best friend, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious… Why couldn't he have had the same luck with Lily?

Olivia Dunbar stayed behind to help him replace the crate containing all the balls in Madam Hooch's office, which was just a little way away from the changing rooms. She was a pretty girl – tall, dark-haired, athletic, and a talented Beater. She could hit Bludgers with nearly as much ferocity as Sirius, but it was her accuracy that made her so effective – while Sirius often hit Bludgers to intimidate or distract, Olivia's hits were almost always on target. Indeed, that very session, she'd managed to hit James on the arm, and he'd glowed with pride at the red welt on his elbow before drawing his wand and repairing it without further ado. Olivia had been a little shy when she'd joined the team last year, preferring to do as she was told, never really offering any opinion or advice to him… But this year, she'd grown a lot more in confidence, and he had a good feeling about how she'd do in tomorrow's match.

"Whew," Olivia said as they walked out of the changing rooms, "Really, James? Did you have to make the last practice before the match so tiring? At this rate, we won't even have the strength to play tomorrow?"

"Ah, c'mon, Ollie," he said, grinning as he pointedly averted his eyes from the pitch where Lily and Adam Wright were still talking. Olivia rolled her eyes at the nickname he knew she didn't really like. James continued, "You know that's not true – I'm whipping you lot into shape, so that even after a rigorous practice session, you're able to give your best during the match!"

She grinned back and said, "I know – I know. I guess I expected you to go easy on us today, at least –"

"You know me by now, Ollie," he interrupted, "When have I _ever_ gone easy on you?"

"Good point," Olivia responded wryly. Then her brow clouded over a little. "I dunno how I'm going to make it through this year, James," she said, and her tone was fretful. "It's OWL year, after all… And why does each Professor think that theirs is the only subject taught at Hogwarts?" she added with a frustrated sigh.

"Trust me – you'll be fine," said James reassuringly. "I can't believe I'm saying this – but if you study consistently, and stick to a timetable, there's no reason you won't ace your OWL!"

"I know, I know," said Olivia sighing as she pinned her Prefect's badge onto her chest. "But with all the extra work, Prefect duties and three-hour Quidditch practice sessions, I'm not even getting the time to eat or sleep… And on top of that, I'm having trouble with Defence! That new Professor – she could at least _try_ being a little friendlier! I mean, if someone's struggling with the Stunning Spell, you shouldn't bring them in front of the class and Stun them to demonstrate the Spell!" she exclaimed.

"I take it you're having trouble with the Stunner?" James said sardonically, raising an eyebrow at her in amusement. She blushed and said, "Yeah – I know, it's pathetic, I can't even do a simple Stunner! But if they ask me to demonstrate it in the OWL practical, I'm – ugh!" She groaned and shook her head in frustration.

"Er – I could help you, if you want," James offered. "I have no problem with the spell, and with the reduced number of subjects in sixth year, I can certainly find the time to teach you – if you like," he added quickly. She considered this briefly before saying, "Would you really?"

"Yep," said James firmly, as the castle's front door came in sight. "If you want, we can meet on the Sunday afternoon after the Hogsmeade weekend – classroom thirty-two, how does that sound?"

"Sounds great," said Olivia in relief, a smile on her pretty face that reached her blue eyes. "Thank you, James – this is a life-saver, this is," she added sincerely.

"No problem – happy to help," said James, smiling pleasantly at her. "You know, you need to relax a little – the Hogsmeade visit should help."

"I'm not going," she replied, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why not?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Well – I think I should use the time to study, to catch up on my work, and to practise Stunning some more so that you don't think I'm a complete waste when we meet the day after," she said, and he shook his head, laughing. "You're not a moron!" he said lightly, and she gave him a little smile before ploughing on, "Besides, both my best friends have dates, so I'll just get bored anyway…"

"Ahh, that's the real reason," said James, smirking as they entered the castle. She blushed slightly and said rather defensively, "Well – would you go third-wheeling on a date with Sirius and Liz?"

Taken aback, he exclaimed, "What? Sirius and Liz – on a date?"

"I dunno if it's already happened yet," Olivia replied quickly. "But c'mon – they're _so_ obvious! If I had to bet on it, I'd say sooner rather than later."

 _She's sharp_ , James thought admiringly. He knew that Liz liked his best mate, but so far, Sirius just clammed up when James tried to prod him about his feelings towards her… James wasn't sure if Sirius felt the same way, but he did seem to enjoy spending time with Liz – with the two of them bantering, flirting and bickering back and forth. "I dunno – hard to say," he said vaguely, unwilling to mention that he had a deeper knowledge of Liz and Sirius's friendship. "But if you want to see what happens, you can join us in Hogsmeade – me, Remus, Peter and Marlene, that is. Like I said, I think you need a break," he added quickly.

Olivia seemed to consider this. "Oh, fine, then," she said at last. "You're right – I need a break, and I don't want to just sit around studying in the castle, I'd get bored. But if I'm with the famous Marauders, I know I won't," she added, giving him a sideways glance and smirking. "Besides, Marlene will be there, too, right?"

"Yup, she will… Great – that's settled, then," said James, smiling back at her. An evil smirk replaced his smile as he added, "And – if Sirius and Liz _do_ go on a date, we could give them a hard time…"

"Sounds like fun," said Olivia dryly as they entered the Great Hall. "Blimey, if it happens, I hope Marlene will be OK," she added, her voice gentle and a little fretful. "I'm sure she will," James said reassuringly. "She's a whole lot tougher than she appears to be… Besides, she and Liz are friends, so they'll be all right."

"I hope so – otherwise, we'll get World War Three," Olivia responded sardonically. Clearly catching his confused glance, she amended, "Oh, c'mon – the two world wars are important aspects of Muggle history, responsible for having huge, long-term impacts! You should hear my Mum go on about it – she's a professor of Muggle history, which means that I have a top-notch knowledge about the history of the Muggle World. It's way more interesting than the Wizarding World, anyway," she said, and James grinned. "I agree with that despite knowing diddly squat about Muggle history," he replied and she chuckled. Spotting her friends at the Gryffindor table, she said, "Well – thanks for the offer, James. See you later!"

"Later," said James, and with a little wave, she went off to join her friends. James approached where Sirius, Liz, Marlene and Peter were sitting, and threw himself in a seat neat them. "We just _have_ to win tomorrow," he said tersely. "Can't lose to Slytherin…"

"We _know_ , mate," said Sirius reassuringly. "And don't worry – we have tomorrow's game all sewn up – right, girls?" he added, looking at Liz and Marlene.

"Yep," they said in unison, and Peter nodded eagerly. "I can feel it, Prongs – we're going to win tomorrow," he said, and James smiled before attacking his food with great gusto. His thoughts were on Olivia… Sure, it had been a little impulsive on his part to ask her to join them in Hogsmeade, and he was sure that it had (at least, partially) been triggered by the conversation he'd had with Lily a few days ago.

After dinner, James played his usual game of Chess with Remus this time, beating his friend in about an hour… He didn't need the 'chess therapy' anymore, but he'd found that it helped with his concentration and state of mind, so it had almost become a pre-match ritual. He usually played with Peter, Remus or Mary (since his other friends were on the Quidditch team now); he knew that they never played their 'A-game' against him on the night before a match, but he appreciated it all the same… This wasn't a competition; it was an exercise in concentration and focus, and he was grateful for his friends' help.

Just as he was going up to bed, however, a familiar voice called out his name. He turned to see Lily standing right behind him, and for the first time in his memory, the automatic smile (that usually came to his face whenever he saw her) didn't come. "Yeah?" he asked her with an unconvincing stab at pleasantness.

To his surprise, she gave him a quick, perfunctory hug, and said, "Good luck tomorrow – I know we're going to beat them!"

He couldn't help it; he grinned. "Glad to have your support, Lily – that'll win us the match, that will," he responded dryly, and she chortled before going off to join Liz. Shaking his head, he made his way up the spiral staircase, his thoughts still on the conversation they'd had a few days ago…

James slept badly. Lily wove in and out of his dreams, appearing in several forms – the oddest of which was an apple that hung on a low-hanging branch of the tree; however, as he jumped to pluck it, the tree kept moving the branch upwards so that the fruit remained out of his reach, laughing at him as it did so before turning into Adam Wright, and the fruit turned to Lily who gave him a little wink before scuttling off, hand-in-hand, with Wright… There were several others, but when he woke up at the crack of dawn, that was the one he remembered clearly. _So much for 'chess therapy'_ , he thought as he got dressed; grabbing his wand (he always carried it everywhere), he made his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

He remained at the table long after his breakfast, giving several last-minute instructions to his teammates, particularly encouraging Donnie Martin to catch the Snitch as soon as he could. He smiled in greeting at Olivia before engaging Liz and Marlene in discussion about their latest tactics, culminating with, "I want a win today at all costs, girls, so make sure that it happens!"

They nodded back reassuringly, and James forced himself to smile at Adam and tell him to block as many shots as he could, before rising to his feet. "Changing rooms, everyone – be there in ten minutes," he said, before setting off alone, going over his strategy for today. He knew that the Slytherin Chasers were nearly as good as himself, Marlene and Liz… Which meant that their strategy to build up a big lead was more important than ever, if they were to give Donnie any time to catch the Snitch. Admittedly, Donnie was the only weak link in the team, but he'd surely out-flown the clowns who had showed up at tryouts _. We should score as many goals as we can_ , he resolved as he reached the changing rooms.

His thoughts went to Ashley Bond, the Slytherin Captain. Her rise had been meteoric; she'd just joined their team last year, but she was already leading it – the previous Captain had graduated, and it had been due to her prolificity in front of the hoops that Slytherin had won the Cup last year. On a more serious note, though, James knew that her father was fighting for his life in St Mungo's and while he'd (a little unwillingly, owing to his general mistrust of Slytherins) written to his Dad about it, he hadn't been able to help her much. He couldn't count on her being distracted while she played, though…

By the time the rest arrived, James was already changed. He waited for them to wear their scarlet-and-gold robes before saying, "Right… First match, Slytherin, and like always – we have to win! On three, then – one – two – GO LIONS!"

That last bit was shouted out by the entire team; it was their battle-cry of sorts. Liz and Marlene came up to him, and he grinned widely before they all slapped their palms with each other whilst standing in a triangle; it was a ritual that they, as Chasers, always performed before stepping out onto the pitch. James was the one who had started that; in his head, it indicated the coordination and trust they shared with each other.

Applause, cheers and scarlet flags greeted them as they came out onto the pitch. "Welcome, everyone – to the first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" came Dorcas Meadowes's familiar, perky voice. "An unchanged team by the players in scarlet and gold – McKinnon, Huntington, Black, Dunbar, Wright, Martin, and the Captain, Potter!" James head the Gryffindor supporters yelling and cheering at his name, and as is always did, it heartened him. It was endearing, the adulation he received; indeed, it reminded him that he wasn't just playing for his team, but for their fans, too…

"And here come the Slytherins, with several new faces – Pritchard, Baines, Cahill, Selwyn, Hastings, Black, and the Captain, Bond!" The Slytherin supporters whooped and cheered as their team walked out, and stood in front of the Gryffindors. Ashley Bond gave James a friendly sort of smile, an action which he returned out of courtesy. Madam Hooch arrived with the crate containing the four balls, and said, "Captains, shake hands."

James and Ashley approached each other, and shook hands; it was a different experience for James, having almost had his hand crushed last year by the previous Slytherin Captain, Croft. "Thank you for your help, Potter – I appreciate it," Ashley said softly, and he was a little surprised; granted, she did know that he'd written to his Dad on Lily's behest, and he felt a little gratified to have his actions acknowledged. "No problem, I hope your Dad gets better soon," he replied with a little smile, and she nodded her thanks. "Good luck," she said, and he echoed her, not bothering to hide his surprise… Sportsmanship from Slytherin players wasn't something he was used to. Shaking his head, he returned to his teammates and mounted his broomstick.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and James kicked off from the ground, taking a full five seconds to breathe in the fresh morning air before grabbing the Quaffle that Marlene passed to him and speeding off. He dodged Bond and Cahill before passing to Liz, who had arrived onto his right. He kept pace with her as she dodged the Bludger Hastings hit at her before giving an underarm pass to Marlene, who sped forward towards the hoops – but instead of scoring, she reverse-passed to Liz, who took a shot at the middle hoop –

"Huntington scores!" Dorcas shouted, and the Gryffindors cheered in appreciation. "Ten-nil to Gryffindor!"

Liz exchanged celebratory claps with James and Marlene, and the game resumed. James ignored Dorcas's commentary as he flew, dodging Bludgers and players with equal ease… He managed to score twice, but Ashley scored at the other end to open Slytherin's account. With twenty minutes of the match gone, Gryffindor were leading with a margin of forty points, with the score at eighty-forty in their favour.

"Here's McKinnon, passes to Huntington who's away – Potter onto her right, and Huntington passes to him –"

"Look out, Liz!" James shouted in alarm as the huge black Bludger came hurtling towards her; she clearly hadn't seen it in her haste to pass. He watched on, horrified, as the Bludger hit her straight on the head – he could do nothing as she was thrown cleanly off the broom and began to hurtle towards the ground. He dropped the Quaffle at once and sped off to catch her, praying that she wouldn't hit the ground before he could reach her –

Time seemed to freeze for James as he sped towards Liz, urging his broom to go faster. _No!_ he thought desperately; he was too far, and his broom was too slow. He wasn't going to reach her in time –

And out of the corner of his eye, James spotted another figure in scarlet-and-gold; it was Sirius. He watched in horror as his best mate jumped off his broom and cleanly caught Liz, but they were both still about ten feet from the ground… Thinking quickly, he whipped out his wand, and screamed, " _Molliare!_ "

Sirius and Liz landed onto the pitch in a heap, but to his relief, his best mate seemed to be fine – the Cushioning Charm had worked, then. James landed beside them as Sirius gently lowered Liz onto the pitch. "Hunt? Liz? Can you hear me?" he panted urgently, shaking her shoulders – but there was no response. He bent over her chest as James knelt down too, his heart hammering… _Please, please, let her be all right_ , he thought desperately as out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Madam Hooch landing next to them.

"She has a pulse," Sirius said, relief etched upon his pale and sweaty face. "She's been knocked out, though –"

"She needs Hospital Wing," said Madam Hooch firmly, conjuring a stretcher. "Good job, Potter – that Cushioning Charm stopped Black here from breaking his neck – and possibly saved both their lives."

"Yeah, thanks, mate," said Sirius, mustering a swift smile at him. James nodded back and said, "We'll talk about your heroics later – right now, we need to make sure she's OK." He vaguely heard screams and jeers from the crowd, but he tuned them out… Right now, Liz was the top priority. She appeared to be bleeding from her head, and his fear went up by a notch… Before he could do anything, however, the rest of the team arrived next to them, followed closely by Professor McGonagall who bent over Liz, muttering something with her wand out.

"Liz!" came a familiar, distraught voice, and James looked up to see Lily sprinting over towards them, her beautiful face terrified. "Oh, God, Liz! How is she?"

"Unconscious – but she'll be fine," said Professor McGonagall reassuringly, standing up. "She needs to be taken to the Hospital Wing –"

"I'll do it," said Sirius immediately, but Lily jumped in. "I'll do it – you still have a match to play, Black," she said firmly. "You lot can come to the Hospital Wing afterwards –"

"But –"

"I told you, I'll do it," snapped Lily. Then her tone softened. "She'll be all right, OK? Madam Pomfrey can fix her up in a jiffy, I'm sure of it… Right, Professor?" she added to the Transfiguration teacher, who nodded. "Go on, then, Miss Evans," she said, and there was a ghost of a smile on her face. Lily gave James and Sirius a reassuring smile, and James understood that she was trying very hard to be strong… He could tell that she was just as worried about Liz as they were. She began to walk away, levitating Liz behind her, carrying Liz's broomstick in her other hand. The crowd stood up and clapped as the two of them left the pitch, and James felt heartened once again. She was going to be all right…

"Bloody hell, the match!" he shouted suddenly, just realizing that the match was still going on – he'd forgotten to call a time-out, and only the Captain could do so. He couldn't imagine how far ahead Slytherin could be now…

"We can recommence after you name your substitute, Potter," said Madam Hooch, and James felt surprised.

"Recommence?" he repeated blankly. "But I forgot, I didn't call a timeout –"

"I know," interrupted a voice, "I did."

He turned to face Ashley Bond, who was standing a few feet away, her blue eyes fixed upon him.

"Er – why?" he couldn't help asking. "It was _my_ job, and you were within your rights to continue playing, we're competitors –"

"So?" asked Ashley, her eyebrows raised. "We're athletes first, Potter – or have you forgotten that?"

He gaped at her, he couldn't believe it. Again, he thought about how rare it was to see a display of sportsmanship like this from the Slytherins, and he was more than a little shocked. Granted, he'd have done the same thing if he'd been her position, but he'd learnt to expect the worst from their traditional rivals…

"Er, thanks," he said lamely. Ashley gave him a small smile before going back towards her waiting team. Shaking his head, James looked at the substitutes' bench, and called, "Hey – Alastair! You're in!" A short boy grabbed his broomstick and sprinted towards them. The team took their positions, and James said to his Seeker, "An early catch is what we need now, Donnie – we're down one of our main Chasers, and I dunno how long we can stay in the lead!" Donnie Martin nodded tersely as Madam Hooch blew her whistle, restarting the match.

James played like a man possessed; he involved Alastair Carlisle minimally, preferring to have Marlene with him as they attacked, and the Gryffindors managed to hold on to their lead over the next fifteen minutes. "McKinnon scores – one-fifty-ninety to Gryffindor!" announced Dorcas Meadowes as the Gryffindor supporters cheered. "Potter and McKinnon are playing with incredible skill, keeping the Lions in the lead – ooh, and it looks like Martin has seen the Snitch! Black is on his tail – but Martin edges ahead – and he's caught it! Gryffindor win!"

"Yes!" cheered James as he joined the rest of the team in converging on Donnie Martin, who miraculously stayed on his broom as his teammates hugged him, cheering madly. They'd beaten Slytherin with a main player down, and James couldn't feel prouder of his team… But there was something else he had to do. He extricated himself from Marlene and flew straight towards Ashley Bond, who was in the process of scolding a disgruntled-looking Regulus Black. "Er, Bond?" he said tentatively, and she turned swiftly to look at him. "What?" she asked, a little curtly.

"Er – I just wanted to thank you… If you hadn't taken that time-out, you could've easily scored several goals and put the game beyond our reach," said James, his words coming out in a rush. Looking gratified, Ashley said, "No problem – I'm sure you'd have done the same thing. Besides, I'd rather beat Gryffindor fair and square."

"Yeah, well – don't count on it," said James with a little smile, and she grinned back at him. "There's still next year," she said, her tone wry. "Now, go and celebrate with your team, and check on Liz. Tell her I said hi." He gave her a little nod before sprinting back towards his team. There would be no celebration until everyone was sure that Liz was going to be fine…

A few minutes later, James, Sirius and the rest of the team arrived in the Hospital Wing. Lily was sitting by Liz's bedside, and she gave them a tired smile as they approached. "She's going to be fine… Didn't even crack her skull," she said, sounding as if she had a cold, and a wave of relief immediately shot through James's body. "Figures – I always knew she was thick-headed," he said sardonically, and Lily laughed. He noticed that her eyes seemed rather red.

"Uhh," groaned Liz, stirring slightly; her eyelids fluttered before she opened her eyes. "What happened?"

"You got hit by a Bludger," said James at once. "But don't worry – you're OK, you'll be out of here by evening –"

"Black and James saved you," said Lily, with an admiring glance at him and Sirius. "Black caught you – he even jumped off his broom in the process – and James used a Cushioning Charm to soften your landing…"

"Uhh," Liz moaned again, before turning towards James and Sirius. "I suppose I have you prats to thank," she said, and James grinned. "I'm glad you're OK, Liz," he said simply, and she smiled at him before asking, "And the match?"

"We won – three-hundred to ninety," said Sirius proudly, and Liz grinned at him in relief. Before she could say anything, however, Madam Pomfrey arrived and said firmly, "Now – this girl needs her rest, so how about you all clear off now? You can visit later…"

"Er – OK," said James, patting Liz's hand one last time. The rest of his teammates whispered reassuring words to their injured Chaser, and James gently dragged a reluctant Lily away from her best friend. "Just a minute," Liz rasped, "Blackie – could you stay, please?"

"Sure," said Sirius, and sat down next to her at once. Lily shot James a confused look which he returned before the two of them joined the team near the door of the Hospital Wing. James craned his neck to see what Sirius and Liz were doing; they appeared to be talking quietly. Then, all of a sudden, Sirius bent down, and to James's shock, kissed Liz gently on the lips.

James let out a low whistle; this was an interesting development. Next to him, Lily had a little smile on her face, as though she'd been expecting this… "That's not surprising at all," whispered Olivia Dunbar from behind them, her tone satisfied, and he turned around with a mischievous grin on his face. "Looks like we're going to have a fun Hogsmeade weekend," he whispered back, and she winked at him. His gaze went to Marlene, who had a smile on her face, too; he felt relieved at once. _Thank Heavens she's OK with this_ , he thought. _I don't want another – what was the phrase Ollie used? Oh, yes – World War Three…_

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"You're evil, mate," Peter grumbled as he walked with James, Remus, Marlene and Olivia towards Hogsmeade. "C'mon – why are we giving them a hard time? We should be giving them a wide berth!"

"Yeah, I agree with Peter," said Marlene. "I don't want to barge in on their date… Then again, I'm going to meet Paul at the Madam Puddifoot's at eleven, so you're all free to do what you want," she added with a little grin. James wheeled around to face her, and asked indignantly, "You have a date? I thought we were all going to have fun together today!"

"I know – which is why I'm going there with you, aren't I?" Marlene said defensively. "Paul wanted to walk with me to Hogsmeade this morning – but _we_ had plans, so I told him I'd meet him there instead. I don't ditch, you see? Well, not completely, anyway," she added with a twinkle in her eye.

"Ugh," said James, making a face. "Fine – you can go at eleven, we won't hold it against you. We'll have fun anyway, won't we?" He looked around as he spoke, and the less-than-enthusiastic expressions from Remus and Peter dampened his spirits a bit. _Oh – how I wish I was on a date, too,_ he thought… _But Lily is going with Adam bloody Wright, who can seem to do no wrong…_

"Yes, we will," said Olivia loyally from his right, grinning at him, and his spirits lifted at once. Here was someone else who would willingly partake in annoying Sirius and Liz… James mulled over how that had happened. His best mate had curiously provided very little information about that kiss, other than stating that they'd be going out on a date on the Hogsmeade weekend; however, he'd let slip that they'd be stopping by at the Three Broomsticks some time during the day, and this was where James was planning to irritate them. He couldn't help but notice that Sirius had sat next to Liz in every class throughout the next week, and the two of them kept passing each other covert glances when they thought no one was looking. There was no doubt about it – he knew that Liz liked Sirius, and he was now under no doubt that Sirius certainly liked her back.

They arrived at the Three Broomsticks and ordered a Butterbeer each. Remus produced a set of playing cards, and they began an enthusiastic game of Exploding Snap that culminating in Peter's eyelashes being singed off. Marlene left soon after, but they continued, and James was relieved that Olivia didn't seem to mind hanging out with his friends, who too were warming up to her. They continued their game throughout lunch, before Peter suggested that they go to Zonko's; but Sirius and Liz walked in just then, and the three Marauders had fun trying to get under Sirius's skin – they made several paper aeroplanes and levitated them towards him, made faces and suggestive winks at him and, orchestrated by Olivia, managed to slip powdered Cockroach Cluster into Sirius's glass of Butterbeer (that last bit backfired because Liz took that glass instead and immediately spat out the terrible-tasting liquid).

James was just trying to decide what to do next, when an unwelcome sight met his eyes: Adam Wright walked into the pub, arm-in-arm with a radiant-looking Lily Evans. Lily waved at them all, and Adam acknowledged their presence with an imperious sort of nod before they took a table some distance away from where James and the others were sitting. Trying to ignore them, James cast his mind around to the next trick – but found that his heart wasn't in it anymore. He kept shooting glances towards Lily and Adam – until he caught sight of him bending forward to kiss her.

James suddenly stood up. "Er – be right back," he mumbled, "I have to – sneeze." He knew that his excuse was terrible, but he hurried out of the pub, unable to stay in the same room with Lily kissing another bloke. He crossed the Main Street and entered the first lane he could find, before stopping dead in his tracks.

Three people were duelling at the end of the lane. Two were hooded, masked and wearing black robes, while the third looked strangely familiar – with an awful blast of recognition, he realised that it was none other than Professor Burke. _They're attacking her!_ he thought, whipping out his own wand. He wondered why no one had come to help, before realizing that he could hear nothing – no even the dustbin lid that flew up and hit the wall of the house next to it. _They must have used Silencing Charms_ , he thought in trepidation. _Well – that's not going to stop me!_

He took careful aim, and thought, _Stupefy_! At once, the Stunner shot towards one of the hooded figures, but about five feet away from him, it seemed to hit a wall; it shot skywards before dissipating harmlessly. _Oh, no_ , he thought, _is that a more permanent Shield Charm!_ He shot a couple more spells at it, but the barrier held, and one of the hooded figures spotted him. He dodged the jet of blue light that came his way, desperately trying to think of a way to break the Shield... He noticed that the Professor seemed to be holding her own, but he didn't know how long she could do so. But if he couldn't break the Shield, how was he going to help her?

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	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews, Pratha, CB, Nupurlath and Anna. Cheers!

 **Pratha** : Thank you! Here is the next chapter, enjoy!

 **CB** : Thank you, sir, that was enlightening. I understand that the dates may seem off, but like I said before, I think it is plausible to be a fan of an athlete who is younger than you are. And please, I welcome criticism of any kind, since all I want to be is a better writer. Thank you for faithfully reading and reviewing, cheers!

 **Nupurlath** : Haha, no worries! Thanks for reading, and do keep reviewing, too! I hope you like this chapter as well!

 **Anna** : Haha, unfortunately the timeline has to keep shifting forward, otherwise the story will become too long and lose out on essentials! And besides, wouldn't you rather read Lily's first date with ***spoiler*** that will take place in the future? :-D

Hello everyone, here is chapter eight. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Eight**

" **Sometimes I just don't understand that Neanderthal nincompoop!"**

Lily briskly walked along the Main Street towards the alleyway ahead of her. Having stepped out to retrieve her scarf (which she'd dropped in Honeydukes), she'd been surprised to see James come to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the alleyway before sprinting right into it. She wasn't sure what had caused him to do that, and curiosity had gotten the better of her…

She entered the lane, and her eyes widened in shock as she took in the scene ahead of her. Two hooded figures, battling someone who looked awfully like Professor Burke… No sound being emitted as the ferocious one-against-two duel went on, making her realise that Silencing Charms were in effect… James, firing spell after spell at the hooded attackers, who responded in kind… And while James was forced to dodge the Curses coming his way, neither of his own spells had any effect; they simply flew upwards as soon as they came within a few feet of the attackers…

She gasped; something had just clicked in her brain. "James!" she hollered, "Fall back – I know what to do!"

James whipped around; his eyes widened in astonishment. "What're you doing here?" he asked, "I thought you were on your date!"

"Not important – c'mere, hurry!" she shouted, waving him over frantically; thankfully, he obeyed. "Listen," she said urgently, "I know this Shield – it's the Obice! I came across it in the library when I was reading up on that assignment Flitwick gave us –"

"Yeah, that'll help us, now that we know what it's called!" James interrupted, and she gave him a smack on the arm. "Hear me out, idiot!" she exclaimed, "I know how to break it – but I've never used the spell before! You need to help me – we must break it together!"

"How can you be sure that this is the – _Obeechay_ , is it?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

She struggled to refrain from rolling her eyes before saying, "Because, you moron – all your Jinxes and Hexes were deflected upwards! That's the trademark of the Obice!"

To her relief, that seemed to convince him. "OK – what can we do, then?" he asked, his jaw set in determination. Ahead of them, Professor Burke quickly blocked two jets of yellow light, and Lily had to admire her skill as a dueller.

"Break it," she said grimly, "The incantation is _Ictumalleo_ … Understand?"

"Got it," he said, nodding once. "Together?" he added, and she nodded in response. "On three, then," she said, "One – two – three – _Ictumalleo!_ "

She heard James shouting the same thing, and a few feet ahead of them, the scene seemed to shake momentarily, as if there was an earthquake. "Keep doing it repeatedly!" she yelled. Together, they kept shouting, " _Ictumalleo!_ " again and again – until, like a sound of shattering glass, the Obice Shield broke, sending a gust of wind their way that blew her hair backwards. Suddenly, she could hear screams, shouts and incantations – it had worked, they had done it.

"C'mon!" James exclaimed, and they ran forward to help – but the attackers saw them coming, and yelled, " _Atrufumus!_ " The Black Smoke Spell temporarily shielded the thugs from view, and by the time James had blown the smoke away with a gust of wind from his wand, they had vanished, leaving behind a shaken-looking Professor Burke.

"Professor!" James shouted, rushing to the witch's side immediately. Lily heard more shouts, and wheeled around to see a little crowd of people running towards them. She hastened to where James and Professor Burke were at once, just in time to hear the DADA teacher saying irritably, "I'm _fine_ , Potter – what were you playing at? There was no need to interfere!"

"But – Professor, those thugs were attacking you!" James exclaimed, clearly nonplussed with the woman's attitude. "I – _we_ –" he added, with a sideways glance to Lily, "—were only trying to help!"

"I don't need your help, boy!" the teacher snapped. "What if you'd been hurt, eh? What would your parents have said? I don't want that on my head, Potter – and you, too, Miss Evans!" she added, glaring at Lily.

"Er – you seemed to be in trouble, Professor," she began tentatively, but the Professor waved her hand and said in a cutting voice, "I could've taken care of those goons on my own – like I said, I don't need your help, thank you very much. Now, go – get back to whatever you were doing –"

"Professor," interrupted James persistently, his voice low as he noticed the people who were arriving, "Were those thugs trying to kidnap –"

"Mind your own business!" Professor Burke snapped, her expression livid. "Now, clear off, Potter – and don't put your large nose into other people's business!"

James stepped back with a frown on his face as the Professor roughly shoved her way through the crowd. Lily stepped towards him, and placed a comforting arm on his shoulder. "You all right?" she asked him gently.

"What d'you think?" he snapped, but at the next instant, his eyes widened. "Sorry," he said in a small voice, "Didn't mean to bite your head off. But, really – how's that for ingratitude?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"C'mon – let's go," she said, and they began to make their way through the crowd as well; a couple of people asked them what had happened, but she simply called, "Nothing – it's over!" They came back to Main Street, and James asked her, "How come you aren't angrier?" His voice carried a note of astonishment.

"I dunno," she said truthfully, "But based on what I've seen in class, her overall attitude wasn't exactly surprising. C'mon – did you really think she'd _thank_ you or something?"

"Couldn't have hurt," he responded. "Besides, she didn't have to insult my nose –"

"To be fair, it is a little long," said Lily dryly, her mouth twitching. James elbowed her none too lightly, and she jumped backwards, laughing. "I'm kidding – I'm kidding!" she said, and his face relaxed a little before he rolled his eyes.

"There you are!" a voice called, and she noticed Remus walking up to them, with Peter and the Gryffindor Beater Olivia Dunbar walking behind him. She raised her eyebrows slightly, what was Olivia doing with the Marauders? She didn't know much about the girl, except that she was a fifth-year Prefect… Based on the two or three meetings they'd had so far, Olivia seemed to be quiet and sincere, rarely speaking up or offering an opinion.

"Hi, Lily," said Remus with a warm smile at her as he stood in front of them; she returned his smile and nodded to Olivia and Peter, who grinned back at her. Olivia spared her a courteous nod before saying, "That was a long sneeze, James." There was a smirk on her face, and her blue eyes were alight with amusement.

James snorted and said, "You won't believe how long it was, Ollie!"

 _Ollie?_ thought Lily, confused. _Probably a team nickname_ , she thought with a little nod.

"Oh, yeah? What happened?" Olivia asked, her tone disbelieving.

"I'll explain in a bit – but right now, now that we're outside, let's go to Honeydukes – I need to buy some sweets for Peter," replied James, and Peter gave him a wide grin. "Hey – _now_ you're talking," he said cheerfully.

James turned to her and asked, "Coming?"

"Er – I'd better get back to my date," she said slowly, averting her eyes. It was an awkward moment; after telling James that she'd be going out with Adam a few days ago, she'd gotten the distinct impression that he'd wanted to avoid the subject – and she couldn't blame him, really. After all, hadn't he had a crush on her until recently?

"Oh," said James, confusion in his eyes, "Didn't you say you dropped your scarf inside Honeydukes?"

"Oh – right!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead gently. "Right – I forgot about that…"

Together, the little group made its way into Honeydukes, and Lily immediately located her scarf, thanks the shop proprietor. After exchanging a quick goodbye with the Marauders and Olivia, she draped her scarf around her neck before heading back into the Three Broomsticks, praying that Adam was still sitting there.

To her relief, he was, and he gave her a little smile as she sat down. "That took you long enough," he said, his mouth twitching a little. She shook her head and said, "You won't _believe_ what just happened…" In hushed tones, she narrated the incident with Professor Burke – the attack, the Opice Shield, and the Professor's lack of gratitude… "And so, once she stomped away in a high-and-mighty fashion, I found my scarf, and came back here," she finished, wrinkling her nose at the Professor's rudeness. _James is right – it wouldn't have hurt to show us some gratitude_ , she thought, a little derisively.

Adam, who had listened to this tale silently, now smiled at her. "Well – sounds like quite an adventure," he said, and Lily was pleased to hear a little note of pride in his voice. "And here I was, starting to believe that you weren't coming back – that I'd probably bored you out of your mind." He continued to grin, but she could sense that he was a little nervous. She shook her head firmly; hastening to reassure him at once, she said, "Nah – never happen. If I have something to say to somebody, I do it to their face."

Adam chuckled. "I guess I should've remembered that – all those times you told James to get lost are evidence enough," he said mischievously, and Lily blushed. "Well – what can I say, actions speak louder than words," she shot back, and he laughed. Lily's heart lifted at once, and she felt relieved; he seemed to be much more at ease. She was starting to understand why he would think he'd bored her silly… She knew that several girls had chased him based on his looks alone, which meant that he would have moments of self-doubt every time he attempted to show someone that he was more, much more than his handsomeness…

He bent forward to kiss her again, and she responded; it was a light, delicate kiss, but she could feel her heart hammering, and a little flutter of happiness somewhere in the region of her chest. _Oh, he's such a good kisser_ , she thought contentedly… It had been a good date so far. They'd walked to the village, visiting several shops – Scrivencraft's Quill Shop (where she'd bought a brand-new quill set since her quills were now quite battered), Honeydukes, and even seen the Shrieking Shack from a safe distance before going to Madam Puddifoot's Teashop for lunch (until then, she'd thought it was simply a teashop, but apparently it also served various light lunch items); after that, they'd gone for a walk (Lily had felt a little jolt of electricity when they'd held hands) before heading into the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer. Oh, it had been a wonderful day…

The sun was setting as they walked back to school. It was almost dinnertime, and they opted to go straight to the Great Hall for dinner, sitting together throughout the meal and exchanging small talk. Lily had found out that he was an only child, and his mother worked in the Department of Magical Transportation. His Dad (whom she knew was a Quidditch referee) had recently received a promotion; he was now amongst the top five referees in the British and Irish Quidditch League, or as the 'Elite Five Referees' as they were known. She liked the proud fashion in which he talked about his parents; clearly, he thought the world of them. _Hmm, I like a boy who respects his parents so much_ , she thought admiringly.

After dinner, they walked back to the common room, discussing whether Lily should go to Dumbledore and warn him about the attack on Professor Burke. Lily made a mental note to do so after Adam said that it was her call, though he did think that Professor Burke would report it herself (Lily was sceptical of this, but didn't voice it out loud). At the entrance of the common room, however, Adam stopped. "I – I had a wonderful time, Lily," he said, smiling warmly at her. "Me, too," she said, grinning back at him. He bent down once again, and kissed her… She felt herself get lost in his warm embrace, as his lips gently caressed hers –

Someone cleared their throat loudly, and Lily and Adam broke apart. Glancing sideways to see who had interrupted them, and to her great chagrin, saw James, Remus and Olivia Dunbar. She could feel herself blushing furiously, unable to make eye contact with any of them – especially, James. And as she looked away, she could feel a tiny twinge of guilt. It felt wrong to her, somehow – to be kissing the boy she liked right in front of the boy who used to like her – _especially_ now that he was becoming a good friend of hers. It seemed like she was rubbing her new, budding relationship in his face…

She mustered up the courage to look at them, and her embarrassment compounded when she noticed the mischievous grins on their faces. "Hi, Adam – hi, Lily," said Olivia, with barely concealed mirth. Remus just gave her a suggestive little wink, and James said, "Really, here? You need to find a private place – in front of the portrait hole, I ask you." He was grinning, too – but Lily had a nasty feeling that the smile was forced, for it was nowhere close to his hazel eyes, which bored into her own.

"Hey, James, Ollie," greeted Adam, nodding to them and Remus as well. _Hmm, that nickname is definitely a team thing_ , thought Lily, as the other three continued to grin. Looking anywhere but at them, she said, "Er – common room, then?"

"Sure," said James, "We were headed there when we found that – ah – the way was blocked." His tone was light and friendly, and Lily couldn't tell if he was teasing her or if he was angry. She shook her head, gave the password to the Fat Lady, and entered the common room, followed by the rest… It had been a most wonderful day. She spotted Liz by the fire; she turned to Adam and said, "D'you want to study in the library tomorrow together? After dinner?"

"I'd love to," he replied with his usual warm smile, and her heart melted at once. She stood on tiptoe and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek; he gave her an energetic wave before walking off towards the boys' dormitories. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James, Remus and Olivia sit at a table together, following which James waved his wand and Summoned a Wizard's Chess set and began to set it up. She watched as he began to play with Olivia, while Remus assumed the spectator role.

 _Huh_ , she thought. _That's weird… James never mentioned that he was friends with Olivia Dunbar…_ Then again, they _did_ play on the same team, and it wasn't entirely implausible that they'd be friends. _And besides_ , she reasoned, _I don't really know him all that well… Of course he has friends outside of us all!_ There was a little part of her that wished _she'd_ be the one playing Chess with him, though. It had been ages since they'd last played; she remembered how much fun it had been, despite her trouncing him so soundly…

Turning away from them, she made her way towards Liz. She was looking forward to this part, Liz had promised to tell her how she'd ended up going on a date with Sirius Black only after their date; she hadn't wanted to – _jinx_ it, apparently. Lily had rolled her eyes but let it go; it didn't matter when Liz told her so long as she _actually_ told her.

"Hey," she said as she sat down next to Liz, a grin on her face. Her best friend grinned back at her rather dreamily. "I had the best time," she said without preamble, her expression one of great contentment. Lily gave her a mischievous grin and said, "Well, now – spill!"

"You first," Liz said, a glint in her sea-green eyes, "You're smiling nearly as stupidly as I must be right now!"

"Ugh – no, you first, then me!" said Lily firmly, and Liz shook her head. "Fine," she said with an air of surrender, "It happened like this…"

XXXXX Liz's POV XXXXX

"Just a minute," said Liz weakly, as James gently dragged a faintly-protesting Lily away from her bedside. "Blackie – could you stay, please?" She couldn't bear it if he left without her thanking him personally – and in a more proper fashion, unlike before, when she'd called him and James prats with a flippancy that could only be described as cringeworthy. Besides, the feelings she'd had for Sirius for more than the past year were stronger than ever at this point, as was the urge to finally kiss him… She didn't want to make the same mistake she'd made at the end of her fourth year, when she'd missed her chance and he'd ended up with Marlene.

To her relief, he sat down next to her at once, saying, "Sure!" She watched as the rest of the team and Lily headed over to the door of the Hospital Wing; once she was sure that they were out of earshot, she whispered, "Now, Blackie – please, tell me what happened. Lily said you – _bleeding_ – _jumped off your broom to catch me_ – is that true?"

To his credit, Sirius looked a little embarrassed. "Er – yeah, it is," he said finally, and she had the distinct impression that he was weighing his words. "Er – I wasn't very far from you, and I should've been there when that Bludger hit you – but I'd just whacked the other Bludger towards Bond, and I wasn't paying attention – I'm sorry," he added, a little shamefacedly. "And don't blame Ollie, either, she was protecting James – it looked like the Bludger was heading towards him, and you got in the way while you were trying to pass –"

"Hey, hey," she whispered, clutching his hand firmly. "It's not anyone's fault I got hit by that stupid lump of metal – it's _my_ own! I wasn't paying attention myself!"

He still looked a little guilty, and she opted to press on. "The last thing I remember – is excruciating pain on my head. Then, after that, everything is a blur… Until now, that is, when I woke up to find everybody by my sickbed. What happened, Blackie? How did you catch me?"

"Er," he said, reddening slightly, "I – I saw that you were falling – James and I abandoned the game, and shot off towards you – but I could see that James was too far, and that I wasn't going to reach you in time, either – unless I did something drastic. And so, when I was close enough, I – I, er, jumped off my broom, and caught you about fifteen feet from the ground…"

"But – how did you make it down?" Liz asked, nonplussed. At that, his grip on her hand tightened a little, and he flushed redder before saying, "Er – I didn't really think about that," he said, averting his eyes. "At that point, the only thing on my mind was _you_ – your safety, that is. I completely disregarded that we were fifteen feet above the ground, and only after I caught you did I realise that I hadn't thought that through…"

She felt a horrible stab of worry. "Wow," she whispered softly, "And then? How did we make it down – in one piece?"

At that, Sirius smiled. "James," he said simply, "James used a Cushioning Charm – thinks on his feet, he does. Dunno what I'd do without him!"

"Wow," Liz whispered once again. "Yeah – James saved our lives, definitely… But you, _you idiot!_ " she exclaimed softly, rapping him smartly on the knuckles, "Are you _insane? Why_ did you do that? I was falling anyway, there was no need for you to go down with me!"

"Yes, there was," Sirius said softly, but his voice had a firm note to it. "I – I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you!" His grey eyes were piteous. "At that moment, I knew that I had to do something, and I did the first thing that came to my mind! I guess I thought that catching you might, I dunno, break your fall –"

"And in that process, you'd have broken your neck, too!" admonished Liz, though her mind was in turmoil. He'd saved her… He'd disregarded his own safety and done something very brave and very stupid; if James hadn't acted quickly, they'd both have broken their necks. But the sheer action of selflessness from Sirius Black was overwhelming…

A warm glow was spreading across her body. He'd _saved_ her. He hadn't cared that he'd break his neck, he'd still saved _her_. One might argue that it was impulsive, reckless and foolhardy, but at the same time, it was courageous and altruistic, too. If that wasn't proof enough, she didn't know what was!

Sirius stroked her hair gently, his eyes shut tight. "I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself had anything happened to you," he said softly, speaking more to himself than to her. "If you'd broken your –"

"Never mind that," she interrupted; the urge to kiss him was irresistible. "Just kiss me, you prat!"

His eyes snapped open. "What?" he said, looking at her in surprise. For a moment, she was unsure herself – what if he didn't feel the same way? But then, she remembered Lily's words. _The best way to find out is to take a chance_ , she'd said. Well, she intended to do just that… She had to take the leap of faith! And so, she repeated, "You heard me, Blackie – just kiss me, you sodding fool!"

There was a second's pause, when they simply stared at each other… And Liz felt an adrenaline rush as she looked into his grey eyes. Oh, there it was – she could see her own longing reflected in his eyes, and without further ado, he bent down and pressed his lips against hers.

She felt herself get lost in his kiss; it was one of the most wonderful feelings she'd experienced. A wry thought occurred to her; she was starting to understand why so many girls had fancied him in the past, he was an _incredible_ kisser. She didn't want it to end, and she felt her heart beating triple time as a blissful feeling came over her… It had happened at last.

After several hours (or so it seemed to Liz), they broke apart. She was relieved to see the dazed smile on Sirius's face, and his next words were the most welcome thing she'd ever heard. "You have no idea – _no idea_ – how long I've wanted to do that," he said with his familiar mischievous grin. Liz shook her head and said, "Idiot – you have no idea how long _I've_ wanted you to do that!"

He laughed and said, "Right – I suppose that's true, I'm simply irresistible, aren't I?"

"Don't kill the moment," she admonished him gently, though she could feel herself smirking at his arrogance. He winked and said, "Anyway – down to business. Hogsmeade weekend, ten o'clock, Entrance Hall?"

"Done," said Liz, the smirk on her face giving way to a happy smile. His face mirrored hers, but at that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over and said irritably, "I don't like repeating myself, Black – I told you, this girl needs her rest! OUT!"

"Yes ma'am!" Sirius said, jumping up with a final grin. "I'll be here in the evening, when you'll be released – right?" he added to Madam Pomfrey, who nodded. "Right – later!" he said, and blowing a kiss to her, he strutted away towards the others with a huge grin on his face, his shoulders raised and his chest puffed out. It was surprisingly gratifying (and even a little endearing) to see him swagger like that, and she knew that she had a stupid smile on her face, too…

The rest of the team left with Sirius, but not before she'd received the thumbs-up from Lily, and a suggestive sort of wink from James, both of whom were grinning… But her eyes found for Marlene. She felt relief when her friend gave her a small smile and a little nod, and Liz's heart lightened considerably at once. _Good_ , she thought… _Thank God Marlene is OK with this…_

She lay back with a contented sigh. Her head was still throbbing a little, and she supposed that a little nap would help… Her last thought before she nodded off was how absolutely wonderful it was going to be, spending the entire day with Sirius Black when they went on their date… Oh, how she was looking forward to it!

XXXXX End of Liz's POV XXXXX

"And that was that," said Liz, lying back in her armchair with a cheerful smile. "Straight, simple, no fuss at all!"

"Except for the part where he saved your skin in front of the whole school – before thinking, 'Oh, dear, I didn't think that through!'," said Lily dryly, and Liz laughed. "Yeah, there's that," she agreed with a little smirk.

Just then, Marlene came and sat down next to them. "Wow – the happiness is like an epidemic," said Lily sardonically, grinning at the soppy smile on Marlene's face. Marlene gave a happy sigh and said, "Oh, I just had the best first date ever with Paul Harper – d'you know him? Ravenclaw, tall bloke with glasses and a little goatee?"

"Yup," said Lily thoughtfully, "When did he ask you out?"

"Two days ago," said Marlene, "I – I wanted to tell you _after_ the date, see?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Liz, and Lily rolled her eyes. "You're both superstitious – _jinxing_ it, indeed –"

"How was _your_ date with Adam?" Marlene interrupted, and Lily smiled and began to narrate how her day had gone. She left out the part where Madam Burke had been attacked; she could come to that later. Her friends talked about their dates, too, and she went to bed that night with a happy smile on her face. It had been a great day…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Well, that wasn't very helpful_ , thought Lily as she walked back from Dumbledore's office the next afternoon. She'd proceeded to tell the Headmaster about the attack on Professor Burke, and her and James's role in preventing anything awful from happening… He'd listened to her with polite interest, before proceeding to tell her that the matter had already been brought to his attention by Professor Burke herself. He'd proceeded to tell her that everything was under control, before bidding her to stay out of trouble and to contact a teacher the next time something like this happened. She'd had the distinct impression that Dumbledore was humouring her, though…

She walked along a fifth-floor corridor until a familiar voice broke into her thoughts. "Right – one more time, c'mon – you're doing great!"

 _James_ , she thought, nonplussed; she noticed that she was standing right outside classroom thirty-two, the door to which was open. "What rubbish – I still wasn't able to Stun that chair!" came a fretful second voice, a girl's this time. Curiously, Lily stepped into the classroom to find James Levitating a chair, and Olivia Dunbar standing next to him, her wand out.

"Try again – _Locomotor Chair!_ " said James, and the chair began to move around in the air. " _Stupefy!_ " Olivia shouted, and a jet of red light burst from her wand – but it missed the chair altogether. "C'mon – you can aim better than that, I've seen you on the pitch!" James said encouragingly, but Olivia shook her head. "This isn't the pitch – and besides, the Bludgers have a spell on them to find the nearest player –"

"Less talk, more magic!" James cut across her, before spotting Lily. "Lily!" he exclaimed, "What're you doing here?"

"Er – just observing," said Lily, a little embarrassed, as the chair dropped to the ground. Olivia gave her a smile in greeting, which she returned. "A teaching session, is it?" she asked, and James grinned. "Fifty points to Gryffindor for stating the obvious," he said sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes.

"James is teaching me the Stunning Spell," said Olivia helpfully, "And as you saw, it's going badly – oh, I just _stink_ at this spell!" She turned away in embarrassment to stare out of the window.

"C'mon – it's not that difficult," said James, but Olivia shook her head. "I think I have a mental block against it," she said sadly.

"Well – if it helps, I think James is teaching you the wrong way," said Lily, stepping forward. "When you have a moving target – there's the added headache of aiming perfectly. But for instance, if your target were static – like James here, for instance –"

"What?" asked James, raising his eyebrows, but Lily had already raised her wand and thought _Stupefy!_ while pointing it at him. However, at the last second, her Stunner bounced off an invisible shield and rebounded; she quickly ducked out of the way, before smirking brightly at James, who was shaking his head.

"Nice try," he said with a lopsided grin, "But next time – ask nicely!"

"I _did_ give you a warning," said Lily fairly. "Not bad, James – maybe there's hope for you after all!"

James stuck his tongue out at her, before turning to Olivia. "See? As Lily was kind enough to demonstrate a non-verbal Stunner – it isn't too difficult, even _she_ can do it!" he said.

"Hey!" Lily exclaimed, a little indignantly, as James turned back to her and grinned wickedly. "Look – I know that static targets are easier," he said, "But she doesn't want to Stun me –"

" _Of course_ I don't!" Olivia said feelingly. "I can't ask you to do that, James – it's too much discomfort!"

"—which is why, we're relegated to mobile, non-living targets," continued James. "I agree – it's harder – but she can aim well –"

"Only on the pitch," corrected Olivia. "Clearly – I'm hopeless with a wand!"

"Nah, you're not," said James encouragingly, "Wait – as Lily suggests, let's start with static targets." He grinned at Lily before turning back to Olivia. "Stun me – go on, do it – I'll be fine." He pointed his wand at one of the chairs; a second later, it turned into a cushion. "I'll try to aim for this – so that my fall won't hurt," he added, placing the cushion behind himself.

Olivia looked hesitant, and Lily stepped forward. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he lands on the cushion," she said reassuringly, and James gave her a grateful sort of smile. "Go on, then," he said to Olivia, who paused for a second before raising her wand. "Stupefy!" she shouted, and a jet of red light hit James in the chest; he fell backwards, and (regretfully resisting the urge to Summon the cushion to her instead) Lily immediately said, " _Locomotor cushion!_ " The object in question moved below James's falling body just in time; however, before anyone could move, he was back on his feet. "That was a good start!" he said admiringly, "But it has to be _stronger_ – you don't want your target to regain consciousness within a second, do you?"

"No," said Olivia, and to her credit, she looked more self-assured. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this now," she added, and raised her wand again. " _Stupefy!_ " she shouted, her face contorted in concentration, and James fell back. Lily immediately moved to cushion under him, and this time, he remained unconscious for nearly half a minute before Lily revived him. "Much better!" he exclaimed, springing back to his feet, and Olivia grinned in relief. Turning to Lily, she said, "Thanks, Lily… That helped!"

"No problem," said Lily, gratified. Turning back to James, she added, "Well – I should get going, I don't want to interrupt more than I already have. Good luck, Olivia!" She gave them a little wave before starting to walk out of the classroom.

"Thanks!" they called in unison, and she grinned inwardly. Well – James's teaching style had certainly improved… She remembered how he'd taught her the Impediment Jinx back in their second year; he'd snapped, needled and yelled at her as she'd struggled to get it right, finally pushing her over the edge and causing her to use it on him successfully. While no doubt effective, his style now seemed to be a lot nicer and much more patient…

After dinner that night, Lily met Adam for a study session in the library. He revised silently for a Charms test he had in two days, while she made progress on her Herbology essay; however, she kept shooting him furtive glances, feeling happy just by looking at his handsome face. Oh, he was _so_ attractive… And _so_ nice, too… It isn't a very common combination, is it? she thought happily.

While walking back to the common room, she persuaded Adam to join her for her usual early-morning jogging session the next day with James. He was a little hesitant at first, but eventually gave in, declaring that he'd try to wake up early for once, much to her relief. She went to bed that night with a giddy sort of happiness, looking forward to going jogging with her boyfriend the next morning…

The first fringes of daylight were visible over the horizon as Lily made her way towards the Quidditch pitch with a still-sleepy Adam in tow. "You do this every morning?" he asked her incredulously, suppressing a yawn. She grinned and said, "Oh, yes – I'm very dedicated towards maintaining my fitness… My cousin Matt was the first one who told me to stop eating sweets and helped me set up a fitness regimen, and James essentially reiterated the same thing when I approached him last year."

"Nice," said Adam appreciatively, "I think it's commendable that you come here every morning – especially now that autumn's set in."

"Yeah – waking up when it's cold outside is difficult, isn't it?" she said as they arrived at the Quidditch pitch. "But exercise is exercise – _you_ lot get a lot of it, but I don't, which is why – I do what I can."

"You do enough," he said, smiling at her, and she blushed slightly before grinning back at him. She looked over at the pitch where James was already present, doing a set of push-ups. He stood up as they approached him; she gave him a smile in greeting, but he merely wrinkled his forehead and frowned.

"'Morning," she said brightly, but he disregarded it. "What're you doing here, Adam?" he asked instead, with unnecessary aggression in Lily's opinion. The taller boy grinned. "Search me," he said with a little shrug, "But this one here persuaded me to have an early-morning jog. Helps with digestion, she said –"

"Right – right," said James, shrinking back slightly and plastering a smile on his face – but once again, just like before, it was nowhere close to reaching his hazel eyes. "Well – c'mon, then," he added, before setting off; Lily nodded to Adam, and the two of them followed suit. They ran several times around the pitch – Lily counted at least twelve rounds before she came to a halt, tired; James did three more before stopping next to her as well. "I think I have a couple more left in me," said Adam as he passed them, before continuing to run around the pitch.

She turned to James and asked, "How much distance is one round, James?" At that, James glowered at her and snapped, "Oh, remembered me, have you?"

"What?" she said, completely nonplussed. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing – leave it," he said, determinedly looking away, "It doesn't matter – I don't expect _you_ to understand, anyway."

"Oh, really?" she countered, feeling the faintest twinges of irritation, "Try me, then."

"Nah, no point," he said, but she moved over to face him squarely, her hands on her hips. To her surprise, he looked livid. "C'mon, James – what's the matter?" she asked again, aghast. "Just tell me!"

"Fine," he snapped, "I'll tell you – what's _he_ doing here?" His tone was laced with anger as he narrowed his eyes at Adam, who was now on the other side of the pitch.

"What d'you mean? He's jogging, as far as I can see," she replied, clearly at a loss to understand why he was acting like this. "What's with the attitude?"

"Look – if you don't get it, there's no point," he said acerbically, but she gave him a little slap on the arm. "We're friends, aren't we?" she said, frowning herself. "So – just tell me what the problem is!"

"Fine!" he exclaimed. "This was supposed to be _our_ thing, Lily – _our thing!_ I've been jogging around the pitch since last year, after I became Captain. I figured I should lead by example, see? But then – you come along, and ask if you could join me – and I didn't mind, so I said yes." He waved at the passing Adam, and she marvelled at his ability to switch seamlessly between friendliness and fury. He turned back to her and continued his tirade. "Gradually, I even began to look forward to it – it's fun, jogging with you, and I like the discussions we have afterwards, about studies, the war and even the bloody meaning of life and existence! But – _this_ , _this_ isn't – I just think you should've had the courtesy to _ask_ me before bringing someone else jogging with us!"

She let him rant, drinking all this in. Really, why was this such a big deal? It was just – _jogging_ , for Heaven's sake! "You don't _own_ the pitch, James – anyone can come and jog here at any time!" she said, with her eyes narrowed; anger was coming to her defence now. "And it's not like this was a sacred arrangement, written in _blood_ or something – a binding contract, if you will – was it? All I did was ask Adam if he wanted to join us, and he did!"

"Forget it – I told you, you wouldn't understand," he said dismissively, "Leave it – I'll see you around, I guess." He ran a hand through his hair and set off in a direction away from the castle. "Wait – where are you going?" she called after him, jogging to catch up. Why was he acting like this? A sudden thought occurred to her. Was he angry because – she'd brought her _boyfriend_ to jog with them? Was he _jealous?_

 _Nah, that can't be it_ , she thought. He as good as gave me his blessing when he said that Adam was a nice person – didn't he? "Wait," she said again as she caught up with him; she grabbed his hand, and he turned around angrily. "What's your problem?" she asked bluntly, standing her ground.

"I told you – forget it!" he said, none too politely. He shook himself free from her and added cuttingly, "If you and your boyfriend want to jog every morning, be my guests. Like you so correctly pointed out, I don't own the pitch –"

"But why are you so angry?" she pressed again, but he took a step away from her.

"You're so clever, figure it out," he said caustically. "Just leave me alone, Lily –"

"Fine!" she snapped, anger getting the better of her at last, "You can find me when you're done acting like a baby!"

"Don't count on it!" he shot back, before stalking off in the direction of Hagrid's hut, and this time, she made no attempt to follow. She was feeling hurt and angry, but most of all, she was feeling confused – what in the world had gotten into James Potter? _Sometimes I just don't understand that Neanderthal nincompoop_ , she thought, a little acidly.

Adam jogged up to her just then, and said, "There – that's done… Hello, where's James going?"

She forced a smile and said, "Nothing – he said he hadn't met Hagrid for a few days, so he's gone to pay him a visit." She could feel herself blushing a little at the lie, something which Adam caught on to. "I see – hmm, he's a good friend, isn't he?" he said, and Lily wrinkled her forehead. "What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered.

Adam gave her an alluring sort of smile. "Well – he wants to give us some privacy, doesn't he?" he said, and Lily had to suppress a snort. Clearly, Adam hadn't heard what had transpired between herself and James, and he'd completely misinterpreted her blush. Well – she didn't feel particularly inclined to correct him, so she said, "Something like that… C'mon, breakfast?"

"Right, but before that – let's make hay while the sun shines," he said, his voice seductive, and bent down to kiss her. She responded with enthusiasm, briefly putting her frustration with James out of her mind as she kissed her boyfriend… They broke apart after a few seconds, and Adam gave her a little wink before taking her hand. But as they began to walk towards the castle, Lily's mind returned to her earlier musings… Why in the world was James acting like this?

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Thankfully, it didn't take James more than a few hours to apologise to Lily for his outburst that morning. While he did seem to regret it, he clammed up when she asked the reason he'd been so angry; he just kept telling her to forget it, and she hadn't pressed the issue, just relieved that he was talking normally to her again.

Their lessons continued to get harder and harder as November transitioned into December, bringing with it a sizeable amount of sleet and snow. Lily was getting better and better at non-verbal spells; indeed, she could now perform several Hexes and Jinxes non-verbally, apart from the Stunning Spell… It seemed to her that they hadn't learnt much in DADA apart from casting every spell they could think of non-verbally; however, Lily could see that it was important. The teacher was as unfriendly as ever, though…

She was near the top of the class in Charms, Potions and Arithmancy, and doing well in Herbology too. However, she was still struggling with non-verbal spells in Transfiguration, though Adam was helping her there, willingly practising with her on occasion… She was glad that _that_ was going well. It had only been a month since they'd gone on their first date, but she was quite content with the rapport she was sharing with him. Once he'd warmed up to her, he talked to her freely, and ofttimes nineteen to the dozen. He was a good listener, too… They usually met in the library after dinner, and left about half an hour before curfew to take a walk around the castle before going back to the common room, discussing the day's events…

 _It's like all of my friends have found someone_ , she thought contentedly. Liz and Black… Marlene and Paul Harper… Mary with Roger Hathaway… She frowned slightly as she thought of Remus; he still wouldn't let anyone get close to him beyond a point because of his lycanthropy, and while she did feel pity for him, she respected his decision. Perhaps one day he might find someone who didn't care at all…

Peter, she knew, wasn't dating anyone… But she'd seen him chatting up to a couple of Hufflepuff fifth-year girls, clearly assisted by Black (or so she thought). She'd been sure that he'd liked Mary; however, he hadn't shown much of a reaction when Mary had started going out with Roger Hathaway, meaning that he was probably getting over her… Which left James.

She'd been surprised that he wasn't dating anyone, even after giving him the go-ahead, that she wouldn't think any less of him, in case he was scared of that. However, something about him was still bothering her… He hadn't returned to jog in the morning since their little spat, keeping true to his word that he didn't do so during the winter months. Somehow, he seemed to be around her a bit less than usual… It was almost as if he was – _avoiding_ her. Oh, he wasn't doing or saying anything explicitly; it was just that he didn't seem as open and comfortable with her as he'd been at the start of the year. She was sure that it was limited to her and her only; he was perfectly at ease when Liz or Marlene were around. Oh, he still teased her on occasion, but it seemed – superficial, _artificial_ , almost.

She shook herself from that train of thought, concentrating on more important things instead; today was the last day of lessons before the Christmas break. She'd be spending the New Year at Liz's; the Huntingtons were celebrating their twentieth marriage anniversary, and Lily was looking forward to attending the party in her new dress robes. Indeed, that wouldn't be the first time she'd be using them; for tonight was also the Slug Club Christmas party, an event most of the castle's population regarded with interest, for members of the Club could bring guests…

Adam would be going with her, of course. Liz was taking Black, and Roger Hathaway was taking Mary, but the others wouldn't be there… Except for James, that is. She didn't know who he was taking, though she hadn't failed to notice several fourth-, fifth- and sixth-year girls giving him interested glances as he attended classes. _Well, he doesn't exactly have a dearth of choices_ , she thought wryly…

That evening, as she made her way to the common room, she ran into James. Curiously, she asked, "So – who are you taking to the party, James?"

"You'll see," he replied cryptically. "Or – to quote you… 'I don't think it's any of your business, Evans'," he added, a twinkle in his hazel eyes that she'd barely seen over the past month. "Prat," she said good-naturedly, slapping his arm, "C'mon – just _tell_ me, will you? Is it that – Gallagher girl? Hufflepuff, isn't she?"

"Ew, no!" said James, wrinkling her nose. "She isn't the brightest, really… Pretty, but airheaded! But you know what they say – Hufflepuffs are duffers –"

"Not _all_ of them," she countered, "And c'mon – be nice, James, she's a person, too!"

"I'm not saying that to her face, am I?" he replied mischievously, running a hand through his hair. "I _am_ nice – not saying it to her face is proof of that –"

"Ugh," she groaned, shaking her head. "Well – I have to get ready, so I'll see you at the party?"

"Sure," he said, "Well – don't let me keep you."

"Don't _you_ have to get ready?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes – but unlike girls, us blokes can get ready in a jiff," he responded with a wicked grin. She noted that he seemed to be in an unnaturally good mood, much better than the past month… She wondered what had changed. Shaking her head again, she said, "Well – see you later, then!" He nodded back at her, and she continued towards the common room, wondering who on earth James's date was…

About an hour later, she was walking towards Slughorn's office, arm-in-arm with Adam and unable to stop grinning. He looked just as handsome as ever; the tight-fitting ash-grey dress robes that he wore highlighted his toned chest and muscular build. She'd initially thought that his robes may look a bit dull (given that they were grey), but they suited him nicely, and complemented his brown hair and grey eyes perfectly.

They entered Slughorn's office, and Adam looked around interestedly at the decorations, Christmas-themed baubles and a large Christmas tree that stood in the centre of the room. "He's enlarged it, isn't he?" he asked, and Lily smiled even more. "Yep – he does that every year," she said cheerfully. "Look – there's food at that table if you want some," she added, and his grin widened. "Be right back," he said brightly, "D'you want anything?"

"Just a glass of Butterbeer, thanks," she said, and he nodded before beginning to walk off towards the refreshments table. Lily began to look around for Professor Slughorn; it was a matter of courtesy to greet the party host before going off to enjoy yourself… However, her cursory glance was unable to locate him. Instead, she found Liz, who had just arrived with Black, and the latter waved at her before scurrying off to the refreshments table.

"See? I told her you'd look _beautiful_ in those dress robes!" her best friend exclaimed as soon as she saw her, beaming. Liz had left for the party before her, and Lily noted that she looked stunning herself… _I think she and Black are well-suited for each other – in terms of looks, at least_ , she thought appreciatively. Indeed, few would disagree that he was amongst the best-looking boys in the school. "So – how's it going with your Adonis?" she asked Liz, who looked confused. "Er – _who?_ " she asked, and Lily rolled her eyes. "Adonis – the gorgeous Greek God," she said, "Really – you didn't _know_ that? Wow, you're really poor with myths and legends –"

"Pfft – I knew that," Liz cut across her, waving her hand dismissively, but Lily wasn't fooled. Instead, she said, "Well – if he's your Adonis, you're his Aphrodite."

"I'd prefer Venus," said Liz, winking at her mischievously, and Lily smiled. "Ahh, so you _do_ know Roman mythology –"

But she suddenly broke off, for a most familiar figure had entered the room. She couldn't help it; her jaw dropped open as she spotted James – but he didn't look like the person she'd seen only an hour or so ago. Nay, he looked different – his untidy hair was now short and brushed, his dress robes were a cross between maroon and crimson, but they had a rich, bright lustre to them, and suited him beautifully. His soft facial features stood out more than ever, giving him the look of someone who was quietly but clearly striking.

Her eyes travelled to the girl on his arm, and she drew in a sharp breath, wondering how she'd missed it… It was Olivia Dunbar, and she was looking absolutely radiant. Lily was struck by how good she looked in her midnight-blue dress robes; they complemented her blue eyes perfectly, and her high cheekbones, straight nose and dimples were highlighted more than ever as she smiled widely. Her tall and athletic frame, which Lily had once admired, carried her dress robes wonderfully. There was no doubt about it – she looked gorgeous, and together, she and James made a couple that suited each other like two pieces of a puzzle.

"When did _that_ happen?" she whispered to Liz; for James and Olivia were quite close to them, talking with a fellow member of the Slug Club. Liz frowned and said, "Oh, you _didn't_ know?"

"No," she said, confused. "You _did?_ "

"Well – I found out only yesterday," said Liz thoughtfully. "He told me they had a date for tonight…"

"I see," said Lily, forcing a smile, but her mind was elsewhere. Why hadn't he told _her?_ He'd had the perfect chance to do so an hour ago – and yet, he hadn't. Why?

"Here," said Adam, who had come up to them just then. He handed her a glass of Butterbeer, and she accepted it with a distracted smile. "Thanks," she said, and he grinned back at her before looking around – and clearly, spotting James and Olivia. "Woah – when did _that_ happen?" he asked, echoing her.

"Today, apparently," said Lily, a little acidly, and Liz gave her a confused look. She forced a smile on her face again, but inwardly, she was quite annoyed… Why hadn't he told her? Had he thought it would've been too awkward or something? But she'd told him when Adam had asked her out… So, why hadn't he told her?

The rest of the evening passed quite enjoyably, and Lily had fun talking to Professor Slughorn and a wizard from the Department of International Magical Cooperation who had graced the occasion this time. She exchanged a perfunctory greeting with James and Olivia before he went off to introduce Olivia to Slughorn as his date. She chatted a little with Nathan, who seemed to be enjoying himself with a pretty, curly-haired Ravenclaw fifth-year, before going off to have some food. She neatly sidestepped Severus once again, and noted with a rather cruel stab of pleasure that he appeared to be dateless. She noticed that he seemed to be staring at Adam resentfully and bit back a snigger; for once, he seemed to be distracted from James…

The band struck up an upbeat rhythm, and Lily enjoyed dancing with Adam; though he wasn't quite as good as James (she remembered their dance a year ago with chagrin), he did well enough to not step on her toes. She couldn't help noticing James dancing with Olivia only a little distance away, and how she was seemed to be in the seventh heaven of delight just to be at his arm.

She turned away as James bent down to kiss Olivia, her good mood suddenly turning sour. After being forthright with him about how Adam had asked her out, and _especially_ after listening to him berate her about not having the courtesy to not tell him that she was bringing Adam to jog with them that morning a month ago, he had a lot of nerve not to tell her about his _own_ date… _He told Liz and not me_ , she thought. _He should've told me – we're friends, aren't we? He_ really _should've, the stupid prat…_

However, as she danced away, another thought struck her. Sure, it hurt a little that he hadn't confided to her about his date, but why in the whole wide world was it bothering her so much?

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	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews, Pratha, CB, Nupurlath and Anna. Cheers!

 **Pratha** : Thank you so much! It's nice to hear that you like the story. Here is the next chapter, hope you like it too!

 **Anna** : Thanks! I enjoy writing their incantations – they're mostly in Latin, and that's where Google Translate comes in! I think there's a lot of scope for new spells – which is why, I'm providing some more variety as compared to the original series!

 **Nupurlath** : Haha, I understand… But I think it's a part of growing up, you tend to drift apart a little, especially after you start going out with someone and spend more time with them, thereby spending less time with your friends… I guess that's what I'm trying to show! Hope you find this chapter just as enthralling!

 **booknerdpearl** : Thanks! Hope you like this one too!

 **CB** : Exactly!

 **Guest (Jan 15)** : Thank you! Wow, I'm glad you felt like reading the sequel after reading the first part… I will definitely update as fast as I can! Here you go, next chapter – enjoy!

Hello everyone, here is chapter nine. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Nine**

" **I think I've had enough of this dance."**

Lily awoke on Christmas morning to find a small stack of presents at the foot of her bed. She got out of bed happily and freshened up before returning to her bedroom, excited – she liked opening Christmas presents, it was always so much fun! She glanced at Liz's sleeping form on her bed, and debated inwardly whether to wake up her best friend… Deciding to go for it, she gently shook Liz awake.

"Ugh," groaned Liz, "C'mon, go away, Lil… It's Christmas, let me have a little lie-in!"

"C'mon – presents!" Lily sang, and Liz gave her a disbelieving sort of look. "What're you, twelve?" she said, a little disdainfully, but her mischievous smile took the sting out of her remark. "Five," Lily responded dryly, "C'mon! Christmas – it's the season of giving! _And_ getting – because others give, too!"

Liz shook her head. "Fine," she said, sighing, "I'm up, I'm up… Let's open some presents!"

Lily nodded enthusiastically, and put thought into action. She opened Adam's present first; it was an ornate sort of Wizard's Chess set, and she immediately arranged the chessboard with increasing wonder – the white pieces were made of pure marble, while the black ones were slate; all the pieces had a lustre brighter than the sun. She studied the exquisite designs, too – the King and Queen both wore crowns fashioned down to the last detail and carried swords (Lily noted that the Queen's soft and more delicate features disguised her supreme effectiveness on the board), the pawns seemed to be replaced by soldiers who carried spears, but she was fascinated by the other pieces. The Knight was actually a knight, a horse rider equipped with a sword and a shield; the Bishop seemed to be replaced by camel rider instead, carrying a spear; while in place of the two Castles, there were two elephants with mahouts riding them, carrying a bow and arrow. It was truly an original Chess set…

"Wow!" she heard Liz exclaim. "That's just – _wow!_ He must really like you, Lily…"

Lily turned to face Liz, suddenly fretful. "Dammit!" she exclaimed, "And all I sent him was a pair of Keeper's gloves! Oh – that's rubbish compared to – to _this!_ "

"Yeah, it is," said Liz with a straight face, and Lily immediately punched her. "Not helping!" she exclaimed, and Liz laughed. "Oh, lighten up – it's the thought that counts, I always say! Besides, where d'you think he got this amazing Chess set?"

"India," said Lily, "That's where he's gone for the Christmas holidays – his parents wanted to go somewhere exotic and far away to celebrate his Dad's promotion." She examined the Chess pieces more closely. "This set – it must have cost him a fortune!" she said, "Oh, no… What does this mean?"

"Either he has a lot of money, or like I said – he really, _really_ likes you," reiterated Liz. "I think you must have made quite an impression in his head! And look, there's a letter, too – perhaps that'll explain!"

Lily immediately tore the letter open, and read:

 _Dear Lily,_

 _Thank you so much for the new gloves – it couldn't have come at a better time; my old pair was getting quite battered! And these are seriously the best in the market – they have the best material and make to grip the Quaffle, so – thanks, it was very thoughtful!_

 _Please find enclosed a little something I came across in India – I know your birthday is quite close by, and instead of two separate presents, I thought that a big one would be a good idea! I found it at one of the bazaars – that's a market – in Delhi (that's a city in north India). I tell you – this land is so colourful! I'm having a great time here – we went elephant-riding yesterday, and I'm going camel-riding tomorrow. It's such an amazing place, Lily – it has such a rich history! They've had magic since the 6_ _th_ _Millennium B.C., for instance… Can you believe that? Imagine the History of Magic classes these people must have to go through! The Indian school of magic is called Maayavidyalaya (I know, quite a mouthful, isn't it?), and its location is a well-guarded secret (no surprises there)._

 _Anyway, I digress. The Chess set (which you'd have certainly opened by now) represents the armies of medieval India – apparently, there were several tiny kingdoms, and each one has their own unique history. Most Muggle kings were highly hostile towards magic, but some were more tolerant, and wizards in India often posed as saints, seers and sages (colloquially known as rishis or sadhus) to provide advice to these tolerant kings and help them with battles and wars with other kingdoms. Witches are less prominent, though – most of these saints were wizards. In the Chess set, aside from the King and Queen, the Elephant represents the Castle, the Horse replaces the Knight, the Camel is the Bishop, and the Pawns are essentially foot soldiers – infantry formed a substantial part of the armies, see?_

 _I hope you like it, and I'd like to play a game with you once we're back at school, Lily – although I'm quite certain you'll destroy me! And I'm sorry I can't be at Liz's for the party, I hope you have a good time! Say hi to her for me, and do congratulate her parents on my behalf._

 _Have a Happy Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Oh, and Happy Birthday in advance, too!_

 _Yours affectionately,_

 _Adam_

Lily set the letter down, feeling a warm glow spreading across her body, mingled with a sense of relief. So, this was part birthday present, too – it certainly made her feel less guilty. It still seemed to be a very expensive gift, though… "We've been going out for a little more than a month now – don't you think this is a little excessive?" she asked Liz nevertheless.

"If you think _that's_ excessive, you should see what James is going to get Ollie," Liz said with a little smile, before her eyes widened, as if she shouldn't have said that. "What?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes, "What's James getting – er, _Ollie?_ "

"Er – have you heard of Freddie Greengrass?" said Liz, looking a little unwilling as she spoke. Lily shook her head, wondering who on earth Freddie Greengrass could be… "Am I supposed to have?" she asked, and Liz grinned slightly. "Well – he was a famous Quidditch player about forty years ago – so, no," she said, and Lily rolled her eyes. "What does he have to do with James?" she pressed.

"Er – you see, Freddie Greengrass captained the Tutshill Tornadoes at one point," Liz said, "He was a Beater – and a brilliant one, at that. For ten years, the Tornadoes held the record of conceding the least number of goals in the League – their Keeper was decent, but Greengrass and his fellow Beater – they were outstanding, and usually made sure that their opponents couldn't score a lot of goals, and even made their own ok-ish Chasers seem threatening. But Greengrass attained legendary status at the 1934 Quidditch World Cup – it was in the final, against Germany – that's where the rivalry with West Germany stems from, see?"

"Right," said Lily, wondering what the point of this tale was.

"Anyway – just like the last World Cup, Germany's front three was top-notch, they'd scored more than a hundred goals, and their Seeker had caught the Snitch every time. But in that match, Greengrass alone whacked Bludgers more than fifty times, and made sure that our Chasers stayed on par with theirs, and we were even leading by about twenty points when their Seeker caught the Snitch. Before the match, it had been widely expected that we'd lose by three hundred points at least – but Greengrass single-handedly kept us in the hunt. If only we'd caught the Snitch!" she exclaimed, a little sadly.

"Hmm," said Lily; her interest in this story was slipping, and Liz must've sensed this, for she quickly said, "Right, point is – Greengrass's performance was widely lauded – and he received several honours; for instance, the best Beater in the League is awarded the Freddie Greengrass Medal every year. And so, when he passed away recently – may his soul rest in peace – the Beater's bats he'd used throughout his career were put up for auction. And James – he bought one of those for Ollie. He said he'd tell me about her reaction later – but I'm sure she'll be delighted!"

Lily couldn't help it; she was unable to keep the derision out of her voice as she said, "My – that's even worse than this Chess set, then… They've been going out for what, three weeks?"

"Probably two," said Liz, and Lily snorted scornfully. Liz shrugged and continued, "Well – you know James, he's never exactly been lacking when it comes to being elaborate, has he? And besides – why are _you_ so bothered by it?" She regarded Lily curiously, and Lily blushed a little.

"C'mon – I just think it's a little soon," she said defensively. "Besides – James is a friend, so isn't it my job as his friend to point something out that is weird?"

"It's also your job as a friend to be supportive," Liz countered gently. "I mean, c'mon – what he gives her is his business, we don't need to interfere… Do we?"

There was a pause as Lily mulled over the wisdom of Liz's words. _She's right_ , she thought. _Here I am, interfering again… It never ends well, does it?_ "I guess not," she said, a little reluctantly, before looking out of the window wistfully. It had only been about a week since Slughorn's Christmas party, but she was already missing Adam… _Oh, I wish he'd be coming to Liz's parents' anniversary celebration_ , she thought for the umpteenth time. All of their friends had been invited, as were several other prominent wizards and witches (as well as their families), most of whom worked at the Ministry of Magic. Liz had told her that her parents had received special permission from the Ministry to strengthen the protective enchantments around Huntington Cottage for the occasion.

"It was mighty fine of your parents to allow you to come here for Christmas," she said Liz, who was midway through opening another present. Liz snorted and said, "Ha – as if! I'm _telling_ you –your invitation came as a godsend for them, they were delighted with the chance to go to France for a second honeymoon!"

"Liz!" Lily exclaimed, embarrassed; Liz had a certain degree of shamelessness when it came to making innuendos. "My – just a month with Black, and such language!" She gave Liz an impish smile, and her best friend had the grace to look a little abashed. "C'mon, I was like that even before I started going out with Sirius!" she said, a wicked glint in her eye, and Lily shook her head. "As much as I'd like to say that's not true – it is, you're shameless!" she said, and Liz laughed.

Lily's other presents were quite satisfactory, and she came to James's present last… It was a t-shirt, well-made with a picture of a Snitch, a Beater's Bat, the three goal hoops, a Quaffle and two Bludgers – with a caption above them: ' _Converted!_ '. She couldn't help it; despite her current irritation with James, she grinned.

"Nice – creative," said Liz from behind her, laughing slightly. Lily turned to her and said, "Yeah – if everyone I'm friends with plays Quidditch, I guess it was only a matter of time before I was converted, wasn't I?"

"That's true," said Liz, holding up a thick book. "Look – this is what he got me," she said cheerfully, and Lily read the book's title: _Ancient Runes of Constantinople_. "This is grand – Constantinople has some of the richest runes in the world!" Liz exclaimed as she leafed through the fat book. "And for good reason, too – it was the capital of the Muggle Byzantine Empire, but what the Muggles don't know is how much wizards and witches assisted the rulers in battle. I read once that the Cataphracts – heavily armoured cavalry that formed the basis of the Byzantine Army – were so successful in battle because their armour had several powerful enchantments on them, that protected them as they fought. In return, the Muggle kings offered money and resources to the wizards, who wanted to explore and make sense of the Runes scattered all over Eastern Europe and present-day Turkey…"

Lily nodded, eagerly taking in all this information. She couldn't help feel a little disappointed, however; James's gift to Liz was _so_ thoughtful – it was evidence enough to see how much Liz' face was lit up while she talked about one of her favourite subjects. Didn't he tease her, Lily, for practically _living_ in the library? Then why hadn't he given her a book called _Ancient Charms of China_ , or something like that? Sure, the t-shirt was nice, but a book would've been a whole lot better…

She smiled at Liz distractedly; her friend was still going on about the Runes of Turkey, and apparently, she hadn't noticed Lily's foray into her own thoughts. She compared the t-shirt to her own present to James: it was a book on obscure Curses, something she was sure he'd appreciate. In contrast, the t-shirt (though comical) seemed to be – more _generic_ than personal. She stared out of the window, trying to push away the tiny twinge of disappointment…

They had a sumptuous Christmas dinner, with Petunia choosing to grace the occasion with her presence – she seemed to be a little smug, and when Lily ventured to ask her how her typing course was going, she gave a self-satisfied sort of smile before saying that she'd secured an internship at a firm called Grunnings. She went on to explain that her job profile mainly consisted of documentation; a big drill-making company required several reports to be typed out individually, and Petunia had apparently impressed them with her speed and accuracy on a typewriter. Lily felt happy for her sister, and congratulated her; for once, her sister was gracious (although a little imperious, too) and thanked her. To Lily's relief, Liz was being nice to Petunia, too – Liz had a history of trying to be a nuisance to her sister. _I suppose we're all growing up_ , she thought sardonically…

The Huntingtons had graciously invited Lily's parents to their anniversary party; however, Mr and Mrs Evans had already made plans to spend New Year's Eve with Lily's London Aunt. Lily had been a little sad, but she'd secretly felt a guilty twinge of relief, too; she wasn't exactly sure how comfortable her parents would be in a huge room full of witches and wizards, and she hadn't really wanted to put them through that.

Finally, on the morning of New Year's Eve, Lily bade her parents goodbye and Flooed to Liz's house with her trunk for the rest of the holidays. Liz had left two days earlier to help with preparations for the party, and she'd returned to Diamond Gardens that morning to pick Lily up. Lily stumbled out of the fireplace and looked around in wonder: the spacious living room appeared to be magically enlarged, and filled with decorations – baubles, wreaths, tinsels and a large Christmas tree in the centre. There were several floating lanterns – presumably to illuminate the room that evening, instead of the usual Luminescence Spell.

Lily said a quick hello to Mr and Mrs Huntington before congratulating them; she also gave them their present, an enchanted photo frame which, when loaded with several photos, automatically changed the displayed photo every day. The Huntingtons were touched by her gift (indeed, she could see from Mrs Huntington's happy expression that she'd already thought of which photos to add to the frame), and Lily scampered off to Liz's bedroom to make herself at home for the next few days.

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Lily and Liz started to get ready. It was already five o'clock; the party was scheduled to begin at seven, but they were sure that they'd need that much time to get ready. Lily noticed that Liz seemed to be unusually jumpy, and understood; it was the first time Sirius Black would be coming to her house since she started going out with him. "So – Black all ready to meet your parents?" she asked slyly, and noted Liz's blush with satisfaction. Her best friend turned to her and said, "I guess – I haven't told them that we're going out – yet. I was planning to do it tonight – when they'd be in a good enough mood to take it lightly…"

Lily snorted. "Oh, c'mon – they _know_ Black," she said, her eyebrows raised. Really, Liz seemed to be too tense for no reason…

"Yes – but it's a little more complicated than that," replied Liz, worry clearly in her sea-green eyes. "You see – Sirius may come from a prominent pureblood family, but it is a family that has anti-Muggle leanings, and they support You-Know-Who openly, don't they? I mean, look at his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa – Bellatrix made a nice pureblood marriage to some bloke named Lestrange, while Narcissa is engaged to Lucius Malfoy."

"Ugh," said Lily, making a face as she remembered the tall, blond Slytherin prefect. "Black tell you all that?"

"None other," said Liz, as she began to put on her dress robes. "But these wedding announcements were in the Daily Prophet, too – and I'm sure that my parents know all of this. Which is why, regardless of knowing Sirius, I'm sure that they aren't going to be happy when I break the news – that I'm going out with a boy from a family with obvious Dark Side leanings."

"C'mon, I'm sure they'll be fine," said Lily, waving a hand dismissively. "They'll look at the person, not the family –"

"Like you did with Snape?" Liz countered.

Lily paused, thinking hard. Liz hadn't mentioned her former friend for quite a long time, and whenever she had, it had always been with contempt. She sighed and said, "OK, OK – I understand. I tried to look beyond prejudices, and it didn't end well – but c'mon, this isn't like that. Your parents may (if at all) be prejudiced against his family – but they _know_ him, he's met them several times! If they were so prejudiced, why would they even have _allowed_ him to come to your house so many times?"

"Yes – good point – but being a friend is different from being a boyfriend," said Liz, now removing the knots from a few strands of her long blonde hair. "They may be OK with me hanging around with him – but as a boyfriend, that's a whole other game –"

"It'll be fine," said Lily reassuringly, patting Liz's shoulder gently. "Your parents are going to approve – especially now that he's disowned his family, and has been sort of adopted by James's parents, hasn't he?"

Liz paused, before giving her a little smile. "I'm counting on that," she said, and Lily returned her grin before starting to pull on her own dress robes. "Anyway – leave that, we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Liz continued. "What about you? Will you be all right – by yourself? I mean, I may be busy with my parents or Sirius most of the time, as well as greeting a million people from the Ministry…"

"Don't worry, I'll have Marlene and Mary and Remus – and James, too, I suppose," she said, nodding. "Probably do me some good to get out of your company," she added dryly, and received a punch from Liz in response. She laughed mischievously as Liz shot back, "We can start that now, if you like – get out!"

"You'd miss me," replied Lily serenely. Liz rolled her eyes but chose not to respond; she said instead, "Well, I dunno about James – he'll mostly be with Ollie…"

"Oh – right," said Lily. She'd completely forgotten that Liz had invited the entire Quidditch team, too… Adam wasn't going to be there, of course, but Olivia Dunbar would be. Lily wrinkled her nose in disapproval as she thought of James and Olivia; as much as Liz thought they seemed cute together, she still thought that James buying Olivia an expensive collector's item only after for two weeks of dating was excessive – and also, _unnecessary_. She debated whether or not tell James this; after all, it shouldn't be the case that Olivia was with him only because he was buying her things, should it? Lily couldn't stand it if James was being taken advantage of.

A couple of hours later, they stood in the Huntingtons' living room, welcoming several prominent witches and wizards from the Ministry. Lily spent some time talking to Marlene's parents and brother (her sister had been unable to make it), before heading off to exchange pleasantries with Mary's parents as well. Remus had come alone, however, and Lily quickly gravitated towards him, asking him about his holidays. He happily thanked her for the chocolate she'd sent him for Christmas; it was about five times stronger than regular chocolate, and he commented that he'd been sugar-high for a couple of hours after cramming two whole bars of it in his mouth. She was a little shocked, but he assured her that it was a great gift, especially since it helped with his transformations, and he wouldn't need to buy any for the rest of the year now. Gratified, she told him about her own holiday, and was in the midst of relating a funny Petunia story when four people entering through the door caught her eye.

James and Black stood in the doorway, with Mr and Mrs Potter flanked them. Mr Potter looked handsome and rather unlike himself in robes of dark blue, while Mrs Potter looked at her elegant best in her purple dress robes. Black looked chic as he always, but Lily's eyes travelled to James – yup, he was wearing his crimson dress robes again, looking just as attractive as he had at Slughorn's Christmas party. She watched as the Potters gave their gifts to Mr and Mrs Huntington, before James and Black drifted off towards Liz; her best friend seemed to blush as Black planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Well – I hope _that_ goes well," she said, and Remus looked at her in confusion. "Er – what?" he asked, and Lily quickly explained about Liz's trepidation when it came to telling her parents that she was going out with Sirius Black. "I dunno why she's worried," he said mildly, "Her parents know Sirius –"

"That's what I told her!" Lily exclaimed, "But – she's being thick –"

Peter arrived just then with a woman who could only be his mother, looking a little unsure of himself. He hesitantly introduced Lily to his Mum, who was a short, slight woman with Peter's watery-blue eyes. Remus sensed Peter's nervousness and immediately whisked him away to the refreshments table, leaving Lily alone with Mrs Pettigrew, who gave her an appraising sort of look before saying, "Petey's told me about you, dear – you help him with his lessons, don't you?"

"Er – sometimes," she said, a little embarrassed, and Mrs Pettigrew gave her a little smile. "Don't be modest, dear – he thinks the world of you, he does," she said, "He says you're the brightest in your year when it comes to Charms and Potions, and that you're helping him with his Potions NEWT – indeed, it was because of you that he's even able to pursue it, isn't it?"

"Something like that," said Lily, "But Mrs Pettigrew – it's actually Pete's hard work that has him doing well at school – he's eager to learn, and I just help him out a bit here and there –"

"Appreciates it, he does," said Mrs Pettigrew. "My Petey's always had a problem with confidence – he was a lively little child, but ever since his Dad passed he went into a shell…"

"I'm sorry," said Lily quietly, and Mrs Pettigrew patted her hand gently. "Thank you, dear – and I'm glad he's doing well now! He keeps saying that you're the closest anyone's ever come to beating him at Chess… And that's after all the hours he spends poring over old Chess-related books!"

"Yeah – he's really good at it," Lily agreed, and Mrs Pettigrew smiled in a way which made Lily suspect that she hardly ever heard good things about her son. The older witch continued, "His friends – James and the rest – tricky blighters they are, aren't they? I was almost overwhelmed when I invited them over for tea before Petey's third year, they somehow set fire to my best living room curtains!" She shuddered slightly, and Lily smiled. Mrs Pettigrew smiled back and said, "But they're a good sort… Petey's really at home when he's with them. Which reminds me, I should say hi to our hosts, and the Potters, too…"

"Right," said Lily politely, and Mrs Pettigrew gave her another smile before saying, "Look out for Petey, won't you, dear? He seems to like you a lot – says he's lucky you're his friend, that you always stick up for him!"

"Er – I –" said Lily, unable to articulate a response in time, and the older witch gave her a little wave before walking away. _Wow_ , she thought as a smile came to her face. _I never knew Peter thought the world of me!_ Gratified, she began to look around for her friends – and noticed Liz leading Black over to her parents. _The moment of truth_ , she thought; she silently observed from a distance as Liz, Black and Liz's parents seemed to be engaged in some sort of discussion before Mrs Huntington suddenly hugged Black, and Mr Huntington patted his back. Elated, Lily beamed at the delight on her best friend's face, happy that things had worked out…

"She looks ecstatic," said a voice, and Lily swirled to find James standing behind her, the familiar lopsided grin on his face. He bestowed a perfunctory hug on her, before saying, "Thanks for the book – it's something else! I never knew that the Japanese were so Curse-happy!"

"You learn something new every day," Lily replied with a straight face, and he guffawed. "I liked the t-shirt – it's true, you lot have converted me into a Quidditch fan!" she added, and he beamed at her. "Glad you do," he said simply, just as Lily spotted another familiar figure – Olivia Dunbar, looking as good as she'd been at Slughorn's party. Her smile momentarily faded as James waved to her, and she muttered a quick goodbye to him before swiftly walking away, suddenly aware of her boyfriend's absence… She stole a backward glance and made a face at James kissing Olivia; she doubted whether he'd even noticed her exit. _Well – looks like that girl has him wrapped around her finger_ , she thought, a little unkindly.

She stopped to say hi to Mr and Mrs Potter, who took one look at her and said, "Ooh, someone's looking gorgeous!" Lily blushed and replied, "Someone's looking beautiful!" Mrs Potter grinned widely, and Mr Potter cleared his throat and gave her a little wink. "And someone's looking dashing, too," amended Lily indulgently, and Mr Potter gave her a smile with mock-satisfaction. She grinned back at him, happy that she was sharing a good rapport with them – they were certainly amongst the nicest people she knew.

"It's very nice to see you, Lily," said Mrs Potter, "James told us that you both had quite an adventure, helping out your Defence Professor! My, trouble seems to follow you around, doesn't it?" She shook her head slightly, and Lily gave her an embarrassed sort of smile. "Er – when you put it that way – perhaps," she deadpanned, and the older woman grinned. "Smart work with the Obice, by the way," she said, and Lily detected a twinge of pride in her voice which heartened her. "I wish James paid more attention to these little things," said Mr Potter, scratching his chin a little, "That way, he'd waste less time in pointless attacking spells – where _is_ he, by the way?" he added, looking around. "Oh, look – he seems to be charming that young lady there – what was her name again?"

"Olivia," supplied Mrs Potter, giving Mr Potter a reproving sort of look. "Really, you should pay more attention to our Jamie's letters, Fleamont – incidentally, what d'you think of her, Lily?" she added, facing Lily.

"Er – I dunno, she's OK, I suppose," Lily responded, a little alarmed at being asked her opinion. "I don't really know her all that well," she added truthfully.

"Well – she must be special, if he went through all that trouble to get her that Beater's bat," said Mrs Potter thoughtfully. Lily nodded in agreement, her spirits dampening… Dare she tell James's parents what she really thought? She decided against it – it wasn't her place to say. She politely excused herself, and made a beeline towards the refreshments table.

The evening progressed enjoyably, and Lily socialized amongst some of the other guests. She mostly preferred to hang around her friends, though… When the band started to play dance music, the living room floor transformed into a dance floor before their very eyes, and Mr Huntington led a blushing Mrs Huntington for their first dance – twenty years later, that is. Soon enough, couples were flocking on the dance floor, and Lily watched wistfully from the sidelines, wishing yet again that Adam was there…

She had fun with Remus and Marlene as they tried to persuade Peter to ask Mary for a dance – which he eventually did, blushing furiously. Lily supposed that he was over her by now – else, he wouldn't have done it, would he? Marlene was asked to dance by a Hufflepuff bloke she only knew by sight, and she followed him onto the dance floor willingly. "Well – d'you want to dance, Lily?" Remus asked her, going a little pink, and she grinned. "Yeah, sure – why not?" she said with a shrug, and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. They danced for at least three songs, and Lily enjoyed herself despite him treading on her toes every two seconds.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Black stood behind Remus, who gave her a quick look; she nodded, and he graciously allowed Black to begin dancing with her. "Nicely done," she complimented him, "Looks like the Huntingtons like you, eh?" He grinned and said, "Of course – I'm very charming, see?"

"Go and say that to them," Lily said dryly, and his grin widened. "I'm charming – not _stupid_ ," he responded, and she rolled her eyes. "That's debatable," she deadpanned, and he gave her a little wink. Then his tone became serious as he said, "I'm glad they weren't shocked or something – I didn't want to make things hard for her, but she was the one who insisted that we tell them. I mean, it's only been a couple of months!" He shook his head, and she said, "Hey, look – she's pretty open with her parents, see? She doesn't like to sneak around and lie…" He nodded in understanding just as the song ended, and someone else tapped him on the shoulder.

"May I?" James asked simply, and Black nodded. "I'll entertain Ollie," he said brightly, and scampered off towards James's girlfriend. James grinned and held out his hand to Lily, which she took only after a second's hesitation. After two fast songs, however, the band struck up a slow Austrian Waltz, and Lily felt a sense of déjà vu… _Here we go again_ , she thought as James put his hands on her waist, and she put hers awkwardly around his neck. "Shouldn't you be dancing with your girlfriend for this song?" she couldn't help asking, and he grinned. "That's fine, Ollie doesn't mind – we danced a couple of waltzes before," he replied as they danced.

"I've been wanting to have a word, actually," she said, making up her mind in a trice; now was the time to let him know of her musings. "Yes?" he asked, and she paused for a moment before saying, "Er – I heard about what you gave – er, _Ollie_ – for Christmas –"

"What of it?" he interrupted, and she sighed before steeling herself. "Er – you've only been going out for a couple of weeks, James," she said gently, "Don't you think something like that is a bit – er, much?"

There was a pause, following which James said tersely, "No." His hazel eyes weren't warm anymore. "She _loved_ it – she was so happy," he added, "And that's what matters, doesn't it? And besides – what is it to _you_ , anyway?"

"Er – I –" she stuttered, debating inwardly whether or not to say it. Throwing caution into the winds, she said, "Look – I just don't want someone to take advantage of you, OK? I just think that buying such expensive gifts this early is not a good idea –"

"You have this all wrong," James cut across her, and this time his hazel eyes were definitely frigid. "Ollie isn't _like_ that – she's a very nice girl –"

"I'm sure," she said quickly, "But look at it this way… You're rich, and –"

"I think I've had enough of this dance," he said, and she was surprised to hear the harshness of his tone. There was a pause, and he continued cuttingly, "I won't humiliate you by abandoning you mid-song – but I'm _not_ going to say another word to you." He fixed his eyes on a spot somewhere behind her shoulder, looking anywhere else but at her.

She had clearly touched a nerve, and she hastened to make amends. "Look – I'm only looking out for you," she said delicately. "Please don't be angry –"

"We're past that now," he snapped, and said nothing more until the song ended. He shook himself free from her and stalked away, while she remained rooted to the spot, adrenaline coursing through her veins. _That could've gone better_ , she thought, upset. _I hurt his feelings by suggesting that his girlfriend was a gold-digger… I should probably go and apologise to him_. But by then, he'd already begun dancing with Olivia again, and the cheerful smile on his face as he looked at the pretty brunette drove her resolve out of her mind. Her happiness evaporating entirely, she made her way to the refreshments table and poured herself a Butterbeer.

The rest of the evening was a blur. She dully watched as everyone else enthusiastically counted down the seconds until the New Year (she supposed that this was something the Wizarding World had in common with the Muggle World). There were whoops and claps at the stroke of midnight, and several live fairies burst out of the ceiling, showering all the guests with fairy dust. Gradually, the party began to wind down, and everyone began to leave. Lily said her goodbyes to her friends, and gave James a tentative glance; however, he ignored her completely and joined his parents as they left with a final wave to the Huntingtons…

Feeling a sudden urge to be alone, Lily made a quick and unobtrusive (or so she hoped) exit from the living room, and almost ran towards Liz's room. Not even bothering to remove her dress robes, she threw herself on the bed and let her tears fall… _I hurt him_ , she thought. _Liz was right, I shouldn't have said anything – oh, why did I do it? Stupid, stupid move, Evans_ , she scolded herself as tears flowed freely from her eyes. _What the heck were you thinking?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Look – just _tell_ me, won't you?" Liz said irritably as they walked back from double Potions. It was the first day back, and Lily remembered with a sinking feeling in her stomach that they still had DADA to go; she wasn't looking forward to a class with the rude and unfriendly Professor Burke. Liz continued, "I've had enough – you haven't said a word about what happened for the past two weeks – and James is just as bad, just pretends deafness whenever I broach the subject!"

"Take the hint, then," said Lily, and immediately received a punch from Liz. "Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hand, and Liz shook her head. "You deserve that – and I think I deserve to know more than 'Things were said!'"

But Lily wasn't listening; they'd just entered the Great Hall, and she'd just spotted someone who made her spirits rise considerably… "See you later, Liz," she said with a little wave to her best friend (who looked like she'd been cut off mid-sentence), and scuttled off to join Adam for lunch. "Hi," she greeted him with a little kiss on the cheek, and he gave her his usual warm smile. "Thanks for the Chess set, it was amazing!" she exclaimed as she sat down in front of him, and his grin widened. "Glad you liked it," he said simply, "And I have some more exciting news to share!"

"Really, what is it?" she asked curiously as she loaded food onto her plate. His grey eyes were uncharacteristically alight with ecstasy as he said softly, "I received a job offer – from the Madrid Guerreros – as a reserve Keeper!"

"Wow, that's – that's incredible, congratulations!" she said, excited and happy for him. He beamed and said, "Thanks! Oh, it's something I've always wanted to do… My Dad knows a few people, and he asked the Guerreros coach if they'd give me a tryout – they agreed, and I spent the last three days of our holiday in Madrid – and during the trial, I saved three penalties out of five! They were impressed… Offered me a contract straightaway!"

"Wow!" Lily said, impressed. "And you _signed_ it?"

"'Course – when the Guerreros come calling, who says no?" he asked her, his tone slightly incredulous, though she could see amusement in his grey eyes. She nodded slowly, thinking hard… It was clear that his future seemed to be in the Continent, away from Britain – and away from the war. "Er – and what about the war?" she asked him, her eyes boring into his.

He waved a dismissive hand and said, "What of it? Spain is where the future is – Britain isn't safe anymore, not when you can get attacked at any time, even in your own home! Playing Quidditch professionally is all I've ever wanted to do, and this – this is a stepping stone to that! And you know," he added, " _You_ should come to Spain, too – look for a job there, away from all this rubbish!"

"Oh – I dunno, I still have another year of my education left," she said with a little smile, and he nodded in understanding. He spent the rest of lunch describing his travels to India in more detail, before asking about her own holiday… She told him about what she'd been up to, leaving out the part where she'd quarrelled with James. Nay, that was between him and her – and unless they sorted it out themselves, she didn't find the need to tell anyone else what was going on, not even her boyfriend.

As she made her way to DADA after lunch, though, her mind wandered back to Adam's news. He was clearly and happily on his way to another country… And what was worse, he seemed to be saying that he was ready to turn his back on the war that was plaguing the British Isles, eager to follow his passion – well, she couldn't blame him, could she? He loved Quidditch… She wished he'd confided into her before signing the contract, though – at the very least, asked for her thoughts on it. Then again, they'd just been going out for a little more than two months, so he didn't have to ask her any of these things…

But as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was sure that the other people whom she knew loved Quidditch – would stay to fight the war, to fight for the good of Wizarding Britain. She frowned as she thought of several people – Frank Longbottom, Gideon Prewett and Fabian Prewett, who were currently in Auror training – she was sure that Fabian Prewett would've certainly considered Quidditch as a career in happier times, he was quite good and his knowledge of Quidditch stats was incredible… Her mind went to the current team. Liz, she was sure, would certainly pursue a career which allowed her to help out with the war, despite her own Mother having Captained the English National Quidditch team. Black and Marlene would probably go into Auror training, and James – James would do the same, without question…

Her thoughts unwillingly went to her quarrel with James on New Year's Day. She'd spent several days trying to decide whether she should just write to him and apologize; once or twice, she'd almost removed her quill and parchment, but she'd stopped at the last second. _No… He deserves a face-to-face apology_ , she'd thought every time, and had resolved to do so as soon as she got the chance.

So far, however, Lily had been out of luck. James had skilfully avoided her all morning, not even responding to her tentative greeting when she'd run into him at breakfast. Well, she'd given him a few days to cool down, but clearly, that hadn't worked… How was she supposed to apologize if he wouldn't even give her the opportunity? She couldn't stand that someone was _so_ livid with her that they refused to talk to her or even look at her – it brought back too many unpleasant memories of Petunia.

Lily entered the DADA classroom, and sat down next to Liz near the front of the class. "How come you're not sitting with _Blackie?_ " she asked with a little smirk, and her best friend grinned. "I'm wondering the same thing, he's more fun," she responded with a wicked twinkle in her sea-green eyes, and Lily snorted. Just then, however, Professor Burke walked in, and Lily wondered for a wild moment if she'd mellowed down during the holidays…

"Right – how many of you dunderheads know how to counter Dementors?" the teacher asked asked, and Lily shook her head. _No such luck_ , she thought disdainfully as nearly everyone raised their hands in response to the teacher's question. Professor Burke smirked. "Is that so?" she asked, in a tone that was condescending and disbelieving at the same time. "Mind explaining how – yes, Miss Bond?"

"Patronuses," said Ashley Bond shortly, and Professor Burke nodded. "Right – that was the easy part, though. You need to learn how to cast a corporeal Patronus – that's what we're going to try to do today, if you lot have the brains and ability to, which I doubt," she added, and Lily sighed. She was getting a little tired of the Professor's attitude…

"Right – stand up, everyone," ordered the teacher, and the class obeyed. Professor Burke waved her wand, and all the tables, chairs and bags stacked themselves neatly into a corner of the classroom. "Well – what're you all waiting for, choose a partner – let's get started," she added, and there was a sudden movement as people walked towards the people they wanted to partner. Lily automatically turned to Liz, who had a mischievous glint in her eye as she called, "OI, Blackie! C'mere – I'll show you how to cast a corporeal Patronus!"

Lily noticed Black drag a reluctant-looking James towards them, and understood: Liz was giving her an opening. She felt an unbelievable rush of gratitude towards her best friend, who gave her an encouraging nod before linking hands with Black and walking off. Lily turned to James, who deigned to give her a scorching sort of glare… _Now is the moment_ , she thought. _He's at least looking at me –_

She stepped forward. "James, I –" she began, but he ignored her; he asked the girl standing next to him, "Hey, Bond – want to partner up?"

Ashley Bond gave James a confused glance as her blue eyes went from him to Lily. "Sure, why not?" she said finally, "Considering that the alternative is to work with _him…_ " Lily followed her gaze and felt a dull blow near her stomach; Ashley was eyeing Severus with great dislike, and her former best friend was responding in kind.

"Great," said James, and without even bothering to give Lily a second glance, he went off with Ashley, who gave her an apologetic sort of look before following him. Lily felt a lump rise in her throat, but she angrily pushed it down; she couldn't show him how upset she was, she just couldn't.

"Er – shall we?" said a soft voice, and she turned sideways to find Severus giving her an expectant sort of look that didn't quite hide his irritation which Lily was sure was due to James being in close proximity of her. He gave the retreating James a look of loathing before turning back to Lily and saying, "Look, Lily – I really want to apologize…"

"Save it," she snapped as a sudden thought struck her; Severus had been trying to apologize to her for months now, and she hadn't even given him the opportunity… Had he been feeling how – how _she_ was feeling right now? _Well, the shoe is on the other foot now_ , she thought cynically.

Severus was trying again. "Lily, please –"

"Shut up, Snape!" she snarled. A flash of anger appeared in his eyes, and he said, "So – it's Snape now, is it?"

"Unless you prefer _Snivellus_ ," Lily said viciously, her eyes narrowed. James wasn't talking to her, and she couldn't help feeling annoyed with him… Well, Severus would serve an easy outlet for her anger.

"Go away, Snape," said a voice, and she whirled around to find James standing next to her. " _I'm_ partnering with her – so I suggest you get lost." His voice barely concealed an undercurrent of anger, and despite her annoyance at his attitude, Lily felt a strong rush of gratitude towards him…

"Wrong, Potter – I'm her partner," Severus snapped, and raised his wand. James snorted and said, "Is that so? Why don't you ask her which of us she'd rather work with?"

"James," said Lily quickly, taking a step nearer to him. There was a fraction of a second when she saw unbearable pain in Severus's black eyes, before he snarled, "Right, right – well, on your own head be it!" He stormed away towards Ashley Bond, who was standing with her mouth set in a thin line.

"I thought you were working with Ashley," she addressed James, who shrugged. "I changed my mind," he said shortly, and she smiled; she couldn't help it. Before she could begin to apologise to him, however, Professor Burke announced, "Right – now that you all have found your partners, face each other – raise your wands – and cast the Charm!

" _Expecto Patronum!_ " the class chanted all at once, but nothing happened. Professor Burke made a clicking noise with her lips and said, "Pathetic – if you lot have cast the Charm before, I should've seen at least some silver vapour!" She shook her head scornfully, and Lily scowled; she stole a glance at James and was relieved to find him frowning, too… _Well, we at least agree on something_ , she thought wryly.

"You're either rusty – or you're not thinking of something happy," the Professor continued, "Does everything have to be done for you?" Shaking her head, she raised her wand. "Well – here's a demo, then – _Expecto Patronum!_ "

A bright, silver beast shot out of her wand and Lily had to fight down a laugh; it was a boar, complete with a huge snout and two tusks and looking remarkably like the one that had appeared after James's spell, all those months ago in Diagon Alley… _It suits her personality_ , Lily thought with a little twinge of amusement. _Aggressive, unfriendly, prone to attacking for no reason…_

Professor Burke was talking again, and Lily quickly focused on her. "Right – now, keep saying the incantation as you focus on your happy memory," the teacher said, ignoring everyone's astonished or amused faces at her Patronus with supreme indifference. "Go on – do it!"

Lily cast her mind around; she had several happy memories, the most recent one being meeting Adam for lunch that day. She focused on how she'd felt while kissing him on the cheek, and yelled, " _Expecto Patronum!_ " Just as it had back in their third year (when Professor Walcott had taught them the spell), a silver mist came out of her wand; it lingered around her for a few seconds before dissipating entirely.

"You need to think of a happier memory – this one doesn't seem to be strong enough," said James, his voice cutting. She fought down her irritation as she said, "Fine – you do it, then." He nodded and shouted, " _Expecto Patronum!_ " Silver vapour shot out of his wand, too – and it lingered for a lot longer than it had for her. There was a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he said, "See? Better than yours! Go on – you try it."

She focused on the first time she'd kissed Adam, but the same thing happened; her mist lingered only for a few seconds. "You need a stronger memory," James said again, before resuming his efforts. Lily followed suit – but for the rest of the class, she didn't progress beyond silver vapour lingering for a minute at most. It was looking like her memories with Adam weren't happy enough…

"Pathetic," said Professor Burke again as the bell rang, "You lot need to do better than this – if Dementors attack you in the real world, you're finished!" Everyone silently packed their bags, and began to file out of the classroom with drooping shoulders; it had been a frustrating class. James was gone even before Lily could finish packing up, and she left the classroom with Liz at a slower pace… If she wasn't even going to get a chance to apologize, how could she even get James talking to her again?

Lily ate dinner with Adam that night, but her spirits failed to rise. She did a passable job of hiding her frustration with James, though, and she was quite sure that Adam didn't suspect anything… She gave a little sigh. She had to do it soon – it was eating her up, just the thought of her friend so angry with her.

"Library, then?" Adam asked as they finished their meal, but Lily shook her head. "You go ahead – I'll join you, there's something I want to take care of first," she said, keeping her voice as even as possible. He raised his eyebrows but nodded nonetheless, and Lily waited for him to leave before standing up. She steeled herself as she approached James, who was sitting with the other Marauders. She wondered where Liz was, before remembering that her best friend wanted to get started with her Runes homework… James was laughing about something, and she felt relieved; perhaps he was in a better mood…

"Er – James," she began tentatively, wincing a little as she saw the laughter on his face being replaced by a scornful look. "What?" he grunted, and Lily almost felt her resolve falter; she shook herself and said, "Er – can I have a word? In private?" James continued to scowl, and she added beseechingly, "Please?"

"Go on, Prongs – we'll be right here," said Black, nodding a little at her as he spoke. She drew in a sharp breath; for once, Sirius Black was being subtle… Would wonders never cease?

Much to her relief, James said, "Fine – be right back." He stood up, and she smiled. "C'mon – let's go outside," she said, and thankfully, James nodded and followed her without question. It was almost dark by the time they came to the castle courtyard, and Lily performed a quick Charm to warm the air around them. She turned around and faced him squarely.

"I'm sorry, James," she said, looking directly into his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry I said those things… Clearly, I was out of line. I didn't mean to hurt you." She lowered her eyes.

"Yeah – but you did," James replied, and she looked up at him again. To her dismay, there was no warmth in his hazel eyes. "You _knew_ it would hurt me – and you still said all that rubbish," he continued roughly.

This wasn't going as well as she'd hoped. "Look, James," she said gently, "All I was trying to do was to look out for you – to make sure that no one was –"

"Taking advantage of me," James cut across her, and she shuddered at the contempt in his voice. "D'you think I'm stupid? D'you think I don't understand these things? And most importantly – d'you think Ollie is that kind of girl?"

"I don't know her well enough to answer that," Lily said, a little pleadingly, and James let out a derisive laugh. "Exactly!" he exclaimed, "And yet – you went ahead and assumed that she was taking advantage of me! You're saying you don't know her – and yet, you're being all judgemental! How _could_ you say all of that?"

"I know!" Lily exclaimed, holding up her hands. "I know, and I'm sorry! I –"

But he interrupted her again, this time with a scornful laugh – a maniacal, out-of-control sound. "Enough," he snapped, "I've heard enough… Just leave me alone, Lily!" And with that, he stormed off, away from the courtyard, away from the castle… Away from her.

"Wait – come back!" she called without much hope, but he was already out of sight. She felt a lump in her throat once again, and her eyes began to tear up… She couldn't go back into the castle, she was sure that Adam would cotton on to how upset she was feeling, and she couldn't confide in him just yet, it was _too_ painful. She sank to the floor next to a pillar, and remained seated, letting her tears fall freely…

She'd hurt him. He wasn't yet ready to let bygones be bygones, and each word from his mouth had struck her like a blow from a sword. He was still livid with her, and she couldn't bear it… Why, oh why, wasn't he forgiving her? Why was he still furious? Couldn't he _see_ that she was feeling terrible about the whole business?

Thankfully, no one was about at that late hour, and Lily remained seated on the ground where she was, surrounded by her own Warming Charm that kept the air around her at a pleasant, bearable temperature. She couldn't help it; she let out a sob and buried her head in her hands. James's anger was something she could still have borne – but the disdain, the contempt with which each of his words was laden was what made her feel terribly ashamed of herself…

As she sniffed, she heard a little sound; she looked up to find a pair of pale eyes, and drew her wand in a trice. However, she lowered it as soon as she saw who it belonged to – a large, bearlike, jet-black dog. This was odd, she'd never seen this dog before at Hogwarts. Did it belong to a student? _Nah, that can't be_ , she thought. _Dogs aren't allowed as pets…_

The dog approached her cautiously; apparently satisfied that she wasn't going to attack, it came and sat down next to her. "Hello," she whispered, "Who are you? D'you belong to somebody here?"

The dog wagged its tail eagerly, and Lily immediately began to pet its head. "Hang on," she said, and extended her Warming Charm so that it surrounded the dog, too. It regarded the sudden changed in temperature with interest, before proceeding to lick Lily's hand. That was enough for her to start tearing up once again; as if sensing this, the dog placed its head lightly on her lap… She patted its head and scratched it behind its ears. It seemed to want to comfort her, and what was more, it was working…

"Dammit – if only he'd listen to me," she whispered, more to herself than to the dog. "But he's _so_ angry – I doubt if he'll even talk to me ever again!" The lump in her throat was back, but the dog licked her hand again, as if trying to comfort her… "It's like you can understand me," she said softly, and the dog wagged its tail once again. "Well, in that case, what d'you think? Should I try to apologize to James again, or just give him his space?" she asked, smiling for the first time in what felt like days. "Wag your tail if you think I should give him some space," she added, and the dog wagged its tail once again, its tongue lolling out of its open mouth. She chuckled slightly. "Well – if you think so, dog – maybe I _will_ do that," she said, and the dog wagged its tail before licking her hand gently. She gave an inward smile; she couldn't quite fathom why, but she was sure that the dog had understood everything she'd just said.

"Thank you, doggy," she said gently, scratching its ears. "Y'know, I don't see a collar – so how about _I_ name you instead? Let's see – d'you like – er, _Blackie?_ Nah – that's what Liz calls Black," she added, and the dog let out a bark that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. She smiled and said, "My – it's like you're human! Let's see – how about Snuffles? D'you like Snuffles?"

The dog wagged its tail vigorously, and Lily grinned. "Well – Snuffles it is, then – I wish I could keep you, but Hogwarts doesn't allow dogs," she said wistfully. The dog gave her a steady sort of look, before pointing towards the castle with its nose. She nodded and stood up. "Yes – I know it's late," she said. A little worried about James, she said to the dog, "Snuffles – do me a favour, OK? My friend James – I dunno where he went, but he hasn't come back yet – and I'm starting to get a little worried…" She took in a deep breath. "Would you – look for him? Please?"

The dog nodded and gave a little bark that sounded surprisingly reassuring – were dogs even capable of that kind of emotion? She couldn't explain it – she was feeling comforted, and she was sure that James would be all right, _especially_ if Snuffles went to look for him. It was certainly very odd… "Thanks, Snuffles," she said softly, "I was feeling really sad, and you cheered me up – come back to visit, OK?"

The dog nodded eagerly, licked her hand one last time, and took off – away from the castle, in the general direction of the Forbidden Forest. She hoped that it would be all right… She even wondered if it stayed in the Forest, there were certainly several strange creatures that lived there.

"Bye, Snuffles," she whispered, and set off towards the Great Hall, hoping against hope that James would start talking to her soon…

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	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, CB, Pratha, Theblessedchild, -E and Anna. Cheers! And apologies, there was an issue with the fanfiction servers, so I couldn't upload it sooner (then again, I just finished writing it yesterday, so…).

 **Nupurlath** : Thank you so much! I'm glad you find the interaction between the characters cute!

 **CB** : Agreed, I think we've had enough disagreements between Lily and James over their first five years!

 **Pratha** : Haha, here you go! Personally, I like a story that keeps twisting and turning, that remains unpredictable… That's what I'm trying to write, myself!

 **Theblessedchild** : Pleasure! Thank you for your review, and I hope you like this chapter too!

 **Lily. Potter-E:** Thank you so much, and thanks a lot for sticking to the story after the first part too! I hope you like this chapter!

 **Anna:** Haha, exactly! Just like James/Liz, we need some Lily/Sirius friendship moments, too… Which is why, I couldn't resist coming up with that one! And yeah, I agree – but then again, it's James friggin' Potter, who pushes the boundaries of 'extravagant' on a daily basis!

Hello everyone, here is chapter ten. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Ten**

" **My dream is to make the world we live in – a better place."**

James sprinted away from the castle courtyard, ignoring Lily's cries at him to stop. The scene was ironically familiar; he frowned as he painfully recalled her running away from him that summer day last year, after he'd taunted Snape and the git had ended up calling her – that terrible, unforgivable word. James had felt partially responsible for that, and he hadn't blamed Lily for ignoring him as she'd run away from him and Snape…

But this was different. Sure, he was running away from her because he was upset, but that wasn't all. Nay, he was livid… And he knew that if he'd stayed there for a few more seconds, all his fury with her would've boiled over, and he'd surely have said something he'd have regretted later. _Lily isn't the only one with a temper_ , he thought wryly… He knew that he couldn't have controlled himself from screaming at her; and so, he'd made a quick getaway, slightly regretting the fact that he'd hurt her…

He was _so_ frustrated with her. _First, she decides to go out with Adam bloody Wright, and that throws a spanner in the works for my plan_ , he thought furiously. _Then she comes and tells me that she doesn't mind if I date someone else… That's essentially saying that she didn't have any feelings for me, and that it was time I moved on, too…_ Well, he'd taken her advice, hadn't he? He'd tried to distance himself from her and Adam, mainly because it was _so_ darn painful to see them together… And he'd even tried to be civil to Adam, not only because he was really nice and a teammate, but also for Lily's sake…

Then he'd started to spend some more time with Ollie. Sure, she was fun to hang out with, and she did need his help with the Stunner and a couple of other Hexes… He'd really enjoyed teaching her; she was an excellent student, hardworking and eager to learn. James had figured out in their first session itself that it was important to her if the teacher was nice and patient with her; she learnt things faster that way – and it explained why she was having difficulties with DADA, especially with Professor Burke in charge. Nonetheless, it was enormously satisfying to see the person you were teaching work hard and master different spells… It was the same feeling he got every time he helped Pete.

Then, about a week before Slughorn's Christmas party, she'd mastered the Reductor Curse, and after ten particularly gruelling minutes when he'd Levitated chairs towards her at blinding speed and she'd Blasted them apart, she'd actually whooped around in joy before hugging him tightly. Before he could return the hug, however, she'd drawn back, and after a second's pause, proceeded to kiss him gently on the lips.

James had hardly had time to recover from the shock when she'd turned around and sprinted away, blushing furiously. He'd set off in hot pursuit, finally catching up to her as they'd arrived at the library. After a couple minutes' discussion, they'd set off again – with James leading her to the same room where he'd brewed the Widerwille Potion with Lily nearly two years ago (well, to be fair, Lily had done most of the brewing).

James paused at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, only a little way ahead of Hagrid's cabin. He closed his eyes at the memory…

" _Now, Ollie," he said firmly, "C'mon – why did you run away? And what –_ was _that?"_

 _Olivia was determinedly avoiding his eyes. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere else but there; deciding to put her out of her misery, James tried again. "Ollie," he said, his tone gentle. "Please – explain."_

 _Olivia threw her hands up in frustration. "What's there to explain, James?" she exclaimed, still not meeting his eyes. "Look – it was something I'd been wanting to do for a while, and it just happened in the heat of the moment – especially after I'd_ mastered _another spell, thanks to you! I was just_ so _ecstatic – I wasn't thinking straight!"_

" _Clearly," said James, with a slight smile, and Ollie made eye contact with him at last. "Look, I'm sorry," she said, and James suspected that she was quite close to bursting into tears… Indeed, her eyes were glistening. "I didn't mean to – you know, kiss you like that –"_

" _You just said you'd wanted to do that for a while," James pointed out, and she looked sheepish. "Yes – yes, I did," she said, looking discomfited – and he grinned. She gave him a pleading sort of look, and added, "Look – I'm sorry, OK? It's just – well, you're a really good teacher, and you've helped me so much… I don't want things to be awkward, OK? Please – I still need your help!" She gazed at him imploringly._

 _James thought back to the kiss… It had been nice, certainly, and he hadn't kissed anyone since his short-lived relationship with Rachel Burke, back in fourth year. Now that he thought about it, was she related to their Professor? Hmm… Maybe she might know something about the antidote research the teacher was working on, apparently collaborating with Slughorn…_ Not now _, he thought firmly as he pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on Ollie's kiss… It had felt_ so _good,_ so _good, to have someone kiss him like that. Sure, he knew that there was a sizeable number of girls at Hogwarts who were probably interested in him, but the_ one _girl he'd wanted to go out with – wasn't. Hell, she'd even told him to go and date other people if he felt it appropriate…_

 _He looked at the girl standing in front of him; she was still regarding him beseechingly, and for the first time, he noticed something he hadn't quite before…_

 _She was_ beautiful _. Her eyes reminded him of the summer sky, and her black hair was long and lustrous… Of course, she tied it into a ponytail and wore a hairband whenever she played Quidditch, but when she let it loose, she looked very, very attractive… He regarded her high cheekbones, straight nose, and dimpled chin. He remembered how her cheeks had had dimples on them when she'd whopped in excitement a few minutes ago… And, to top it all,_ she'd _kissed_ him _. There was no doubt about it… She was not only nice, clever and friendly, but also smart, funny and an excellent Quidditch player._ Honestly, it's a no-brainer _, he thought, making his decision._

" _Don't worry – things won't be awkward between us," he said reassuringly, and she looked momentarily relieved. "Really?" she asked hopefully, and he smiled. Now was the moment to throw caution to the winds… "Really," he said, his voice low, "Especially – after I do this." In a swift, fluid motion, he moved forward – and kissed her delicately on the lips._

 _After a few hours (or so it seemed to him), they broke apart. He could see a slow smile spreading across her face. "Well – you're a good kisser," she complimented, and he grinned back at her. "Right back at you," he said, and she nodded before turning away, her smile fading. "What is it?" James asked her, nonplussed._

 _She turned back to him and said, "Nothing, I was just wondering – where we go from here."_

" _To dinner," he replied dryly, and she laughed. "Not what I meant," she said, and he gave her a little wink. "I know," he said, "This is where I ask you out on a date – let's see, d'you want to come to Slughorn's Christmas party with me – next Friday?"_

" _Oooh, I'd love to!" said Olivia happily, and he grinned and said, "Great, it's a date…"_

James opened his eyes. The memory was still fresh, and he'd relived it several times over the holidays. They'd had a great time at Slughorn's party, and for the first time in months, James hadn't felt the usual twinge of envy as he'd watched Lily dancing with Adam Wright… Nay, he too had a beautiful girl on his arm, and what was more, _she_ liked _him_ , too…

He'd bought Ollie the Beater's bat from the Freddie Greengrass auction, and he'd read her letter to him with a degree of smugness combined with satisfaction as she described to him how she'd cried for a full five minutes because of his gesture, she'd been so overwhelmed. The party at Liz's had been fun, too – until Lily had decided to speak to him. He narrowed his eyes; the way she'd spoken, the way she'd seemed to imply that Ollie was with him because she was sure he'd just buy her things, was something more than he could endure. Lily didn't even _know_ Ollie. She didn't know the way Ollie's cheeks blushed every time she smiled at him, or how gentle she was as a person… Indeed, Ollie had assured James that kissing him out of the blue was completely out of character for her, which was why she'd immediately fled after it had happened. She was _such_ a nice person… And yet, here was his friend, making assumptions about her, just because of something that he, James, had done…

James kicked a stone in frustration. _You said you wouldn't mind if I dated someone, Lily_ , he ranted mentally. _And so, when I did – and still am, by the way – who the hell d'you think you are, to question why she's with me? Did I ever say anything bad about Adam bleeding Wright? I said he was a good bloke, didn't I? So why did you have to bad-mouth Ollie – even without knowing how sweet she is? Can't you_ bear _to see me happy?_ He kicked another stone violently.

James suddenly stood straight and rigid, and furrowed his brow in concentration… He quickly transformed into the maroon stag, and bounded away into the forest… It was so much easier being Prongs, he didn't feel his human emotions quite so intensely when he was a stag. He simply galloped into the forest, not quite caring where he was going, and began to relax as he felt the cold night air whistle past him; his thick fur protected him from the frigid temperatures.

About fifteen minutes later, James slowed to a trot. He wasn't sure where he was, but he was confident that he could find his way back to school; being a stag heightened his sense of smell. He kept wandering around aimlessly, trying to collect his thoughts. Much calmer than before, he began to think a little clearly…

He felt a little pang of shame. _Lily was just trying to apologize_ , said the voice inside his head. _She was trying to apologize… But you, you just saw red_ (he smiled inwardly at the pun) _._ You _walked away… There was no need of that. You could've been nice…_

The stag drew in a sharp breath and gave a low, mournful rumble. _Did she act like this when you apologized to her, moron?_ asked that needling voice again. _No! She forgave you – it was pretty gracious, considering what a git you'd been to her friend that day. And now, for something that isn't really as bad, come to think of it – you're all consumed in self-righteous anger! What are you, some kind of sanctimonious priest? People make mistakes… And you don't have to act like a wanker when for once, you're in the right!_

The stag let out another rumble. James didn't like the way his conscience was reproaching him, but he knew that it was right… He had to go back, and it would be better if he simply accepted Lily's apology so that they could both move on from the incident. He realized that Lily hadn't meant to hurt him, and that she really was trying to look out for him… It was just bad luck that Ollie had unknowingly got in the way.

James turned around, and began to trot back towards the castle. He let his sense of smell guide him; he was sure that he'd be horribly lost in his human form. He kept following the path, confident that it had been the one he'd taken – until something out of the ordinary caught his eye.

There was a light coming from somewhere to his right. It didn't look like moonlight; nay, it looked yellow… Curious, he stealthily followed a narrow path towards the light, eager to see what it was… Why would there be yellow light inside the forest? Was someone there? Was anyone looking for him? No, that couldn't be – no one even knew that he was in the forest.

As he came up to the yellow light, he realized that it was emanating from what looked like a cave, a well-hidden one, at that; if it hadn't been for the light, he wouldn't have realized that it was there. He peeked inside cautiously, and saw the light source – a torch on the wall of the cave. What was it doing there? _A torch means people_ , thought James… _Someone was here!_

A quick peek into the cave told him that it was deserted, which prompted him to try and enter it – at once, he was thrown back, and landed rather heavily on his flank. Cursing (though it came out only as a rumble), he slowly stood back up, and shook his head in frustration. Someone had probably placed a shield on the entrance – which meant that he wouldn't be able to enter, not without attempting to break it open with a wand…

After a two-minute inward debate, he regretfully decided against it. He didn't know what shield it was, and if the person who had placed it there caught him, it wouldn't be pretty. He'd have to come back – with backup, mostly. He memorized the scent of the pine trees near the narrow path, before turning away from the cave and beginning to trot back along the path he'd come by. He thought hard as he made his way along the snowy path… Who was using that cave? Was it serious enough that Dumbledore had to be informed at once? No, he thought. It might just be nothing – maybe he ought to investigate it first, before going to the Headmaster…

A big black dog suddenly appeared in front of him, and gave a little bark in his direction. James grinned inwardly; Padfoot, like the loyal friend that he was, had come in search of him. The dog gave another bark, and fell in step with the stag as both made their way towards the castle. Finally, as they emerged from the forest in front of Hagrid's cabin, James decided to transform back into himself; a second later, the dog followed suit.

"You need to forgive her, mate," Sirius said at once, without preamble, and James drew in a sharp breath. "You talked to her?" he asked, a little aggressively. Had she decided to start talking about what had happened, then? James felt angry once more; whatever it had been, it was their problem, there was no need to involve anyone else… He couldn't _believe_ she'd –

"No," said Sirius shortly, and James felt relieved at once. His best friend continued, "But – she just stood there when you left her in the lurch, before sitting down for a good cry in the courtyard…"

James sighed; he'd known that would probably happen. "I comforted her," continued Sirius, "As Padfoot, obviously… She didn't say why you two are quarrelling, but she's sort of convinced herself to give you your space, and not bother you anymore…"

"Right," said James. He paused only for a second to wonder about the weirdness of Lily patting Sirius and feeling comforted. "I think you should forgive her, mate," said Sirius again. "Look, she's _really_ upset – dunno what she did, but she clearly regrets it. _Talk_ to her – I think this has gone on for long enough. Don't want to lose that friendship now, do we?"

"No," agreed James. "Even if I'm with Ollie now – Lily's a good friend to have."

Sirius clapped him on the back and said, "Knew you'd see sense, mate… Now, c'mon – let's go to the kitchens, maybe we can take some sweets for her as a peace offering."

"She's off sweets," James pointed out as they walked towards the castle doors. Sirius snorted. "She'll make an exception," he said dismissively, and James didn't argue… He'd already decided to let bygones be bygones, and getting sweets seemed to be a good idea.

An hour later, James was sitting in the common room (Ollie was doing her Transfiguration homework in her dormitory), trying to read his Charms textbook but in reality, just stealing glances at the portrait hole, waiting for Lily. Finally, just as his watch showed nine o'clock, the portrait hole opened – to his relief, it was the very girl whom he was waiting for, and he noticed with a wave of shame her drooping shoulders, her bowed head, and how she continually wiped her eyes as she walked.

He stood up and strode purposefully towards her. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Remus and Sirius both give him encouraging sort of nods before going back to the Chess match between Peter and Liz, who seemed to be done with her Runes homework. "Er, Lily?" he said tentatively as he stood right in front of her. "Er – a word?"

He noted the momentary delight that appeared in her emerald-green eyes before she smiled uncertainly at him. "OK," she said, and followed him towards an armchair by the fire. James gently prodded a first-year out of it, and aside from a reproachful look from Lily, she made no objection. _She must really want to talk to me_ , he thought with an inward smile…

They sat down, and Lily began to speak at once. "James, I –"

But James held up a hand. "It's fine – forget it," he cut across her. "It's OK – I know you never meant to hurt me."

"I never did," she repeated. "I'm sorry –"

"I said, _forget it_ ," he said, and gave her a little smile. The grin he got in response sent a warm glow spreading across his body. "In fact – I'm sorry for running away like that, earlier this evening," he said, turning towards the fire, "I shouldn't have done that – you were only trying to apologize –"

"Don't worry about it, it was a justified response," she said quickly, and he felt relieved at once. He quickly Summoned a couple of cupcakes from Sirius (Peter had been warned to keep his hands off them, and he'd given in a little sullenly; however, he'd cheered up after they'd given him two cupcakes as a reward) and offered one to her. She took it tentatively, and said, "I shouldn't –"

"It's OK, once is fine," said James, and she nodded before taking a small bite of it. "Where's Wright?" he added, and she averted her eyes before saying, "Library – we were studying together, but I couldn't concentrate – so, I left early."

"Sorry," James said in a small voice, and she gave him a wan smile. "It's my own fault," she said softly, before staring into the fire again… Something was clearly bothering her. On impulse, he asked, "D'you want to talk about it?"

She looked at him sheepishly. "Am I that obvious?" she asked, and he grinned. "Little bit," he said, holding up his thumb and forefinger with about an inch between them. She laughed and said, "Oh, I dunno – I guess I wanted to ask you something…"

"Fire away," he responded, raising his eyebrows.

She hesitated before asking, "Er – have you ever considered playing Quidditch – professionally? I mean – it's a serious career prospect, any team would be lucky to have you." He noticed a faint blush on her cheeks, and grinned. "Buttering me up, are we?" he said mischievously.

"Why – is it working?" she returned with the familiar dry tone, and his grin grew wider. "Perhaps," he said, "To answer your question – I did, when I was younger – but why do you ask?"

"Nothing – just like that," she said evasively. "What do you mean, you _did?_ "

"I thought that was obvious," he replied, raising his eyebrows. "I can't even _think_ of playing pro Quidditch – let alone playing it – when we have a war on our hands. It's going to be _our_ responsibility in about a year… And once I graduate, I'm going to join the fight."

"Very admirable, James," she complimented, "But what about pro Quidditch? Isn't it your dream?"

"Not anymore," James said grimly. "The war comes first… People are dying, there's a maniacal murderer on the loose, and you expect me to play Quidditch?" He gave a scornful, disbelieving laugh. "Not _now_ – maybe _after_ the war is over, I can consider it," he added, shrugging. It _was_ true, after all; James dreamed of joining the Order of the Phoenix as soon as he was out of Hogwarts – to join in the fight for good, against the evil of Lord Voldemort.

"Admirable sentiments," she said, a proud sort of smile on her face. "I expected nothing less… I guess I just wanted to know what had happened to your dream."

"My dream is to make the world we live in – a better place," he said firmly. She looked like she was holding back a laugh, and he gave an embarrassed sort of chuckle. "OK, OK – I heard it, I know it sounds cheesy –"

"Yes," she agreed, chortling. He continued, "But – it's the truth."

"I know," she said simply, before staring into the fire again. James stood up.

"Well – I'm going to bed, early start tomorrow – Muggle Studies," he said, and she nodded. "'Night, James," she said, and he gave her a little wave. He nodded to his friends as he passed by their table, noting that Peter had Liz backed into a corner, where she was desperately trying to hold on. Shaking his head, he made his way to the dormitory and settled into his warm and comfortable four-poster. He felt relieved for the first time in days, having buried the hatchet with Lily… But as he snuggled under his blankets, he couldn't help but wonder if there had been more to Lily's Quidditch questions than what met the eye.

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The next morning, James came down the stairs to find a small crowd of people in front of the common room notice boards. A large sign had been pinned to the board, which read:

 _APPARITION LESSONS_

 _If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31_ _st_ _August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons._

 _Hmm, about time_ , thought James as he added quickly signed his name at the bottom. He could see about just one signature there – Lily's, which meant that she was already up and had probably gone down for breakfast… He sat down in one of the armchairs near the fire to wait for Ollie, trying not to think about how this time a year ago, he'd have grabbed the opportunity to have breakfast with Lily alone…

His thoughts drifted to the Apparition lessons he'd just signed up for. _It'll be nice to learn to Apparate, he thought…_ His Dad had Side-Along-Apparated him once before; it had been the day of the attack on the Tilbury Stadium after the QCL final nearly two years ago… While he hadn't particularly enjoyed the suffocating sort of sensation, he'd been somewhat impressed to make the trip from London to Godric's Hollow in less than two seconds. Sure, he'd seen his parents Apparate before, but he hadn't grasped the nuances and benefits of the process until he'd done it himself…

Someone hugged him gently from behind, and James smiled widely before turning around and saying softly, "'Morning."

"'Morning," whispered Ollie as she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Shall we?"

"'Course, I'm famished," said James, and they began to make their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast. "You know, I keep telling you – _don't_ wait for me," said Ollie as they walked, her tone mildly reproving. He grinned and said, "And _I_ keep telling you – I don't mind." She shook her head; they'd had this discussion before, and he fine waiting for her if it meant that they could have breakfast together every morning.

They exchanged greetings with Lily at the Gryffindor table; she seemed to be halfway through her scrambled eggs as she read the Daily Prophet. "Anything interesting in there?" asked James, as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Lily set the paper aside and said, "Nah, not really – there was a raid by the Aurors in Manchester, but no one was captured. Something about a hoax tip-off… As if the Ministry didn't have enough on their plate!" Shaking her head, she took a sip of her coffee.

"Must've been someone from the Dark Side itself – a wild goose chase, see?" said James, now loading boiled eggs and bacon on his plate. Lily wrinkled her forehead and said, "Hmm, that's true – didn't think about that." Turning to Ollie, she said, "So – James teach you the Stunner?"

"Oh, yes," said Ollie with a smile and a half-glance towards him, "That – and several others, too! James is a very good teacher." She planted another little kiss on his cheek, and he could feel himself blushing slightly. Lily smirked (though it seemed a little forced to James) and said, "Yeah – that he is." She didn't say anything more, however, and quickly finished her coffee before muttering a hurried goodbye to them and dashing off.

"Well, _she_ seemed to be in a hurry," said Ollie, drinking her tea. James shrugged and said, "She's always like that – a little uptight when it comes to classes… She just seems to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge." He carefully avoided mentioning that the first class of the day wasn't for another thirty minutes.

"Right," said Ollie, and something in her voice made James ask, "What is it?"

"I – it's nothing," she said, and he saw a little blush spreading across her face. He smiled at her and said, "Oh, c'mon – what is it?"

"Well – it's just that, I get the feeling that she doesn't really like me," said Olivia, sighing and staring determinedly at her food. James shook his head… _Girls_ , he thought admiringly. _How in the world do they sense these things?_ "Well – she doesn't really _know_ you," he said, a little evasively, trying to put his girlfriend at ease. "I assure you, she can come across as a little prissy, but she's – she's really nice." He didn't know why he was defending Lily, especially after Ollie was voicing out something that was probably accurate. Maybe it was because they'd buried the hatchet just last night…

"I guess," said Ollie, still sounding unconvinced. Nevertheless, she finished her tea, pecked him again on the cheek, and walked away to Divination with a little wave. He waited for Sirius and the others; he'd woken them up, but he was sure they'd just gone back to sleep after he'd left. At least he could count on Remus to shepherd the others to breakfast… Remus might not like waking up early, but he was the sincerest of the lot, making sure that everyone got to class all right… _He's like our Mum_ , thought James, laughing inwardly. _Sure, I wake everyone up early, but that's about it… Remus is the one who takes care of us, really – makes sure we stay in line… Though he's too lenient as a Prefect, come to think of it…_

James didn't get a chance to show the hidden cave in the Forbidden Forest to the others throughout their first week back; their teachers were starting several new topics, and he wanted to concentrate on getting back into his routine first. He scheduled Quidditch practice twice that week, too, and quite happily congratulated Adam Wright when the latter told the team about his contract with the Madrid Guerreros… Though in his head, he branded the Keeper a selfish coward. He knew that he was being harsh and even a little biased, but like he'd stated so emphatically to Lily the other night, James couldn't even consider any other direction for his life apart from joining the fight against Voldemort… He curiously wondered if Lily's questions to him that night had anything to do with Adam's news. Indeed, Adam appeared to have told her before he'd told them all, for when he made the announcement, she didn't look surprised at all…

That Saturday night he sneaked out of the castle with Sirius, Remus and Peter in tow, to investigate the secret cave. Peter hadn't been too keen on the idea; he wasn't very inclined to go into the Forbidden Forest in the dead of night, especially after Sirius had convinced him that it was home to manticores which feasted on humans… Until Remus debunked that claim by reassuring Peter that Dumbledore would never allow such dangerous creatures to live in the Forest.

James, Sirius and Peter transformed into their Animagi forms as soon as they entered the Forest, while Remus had followed them on foot, concealed under the Invisibility Cloak. James sniffed around, trying to let his nose guide him to the cave – until he picked up the familiar scent of the pine tree, reassuring him that he was close by; and sure enough, there it was… He nodded to the others, who transformed back into themselves in a trice. A second later, Remus emerged from beneath the Cloak.

"Here," said James, "That's the cave – I'm sure it still has that barrier –"

"I'll check," volunteered Sirius, and before James could stop him, he strode brazenly towards the cave entrance. The next moment, he was being thrown back in the air, flailing his arms wildly… " _Molliare!_ " James shouted just in time, and the Cushioning Charm broke Sirius's fall.

"Blimey – this seems to be happening too often," said Sirius, standing up and grinning. James shook his head and said sarcastically, "That's 'coz you can't help being such a duck-billed platypus." Sirius scowled as Remus and Peter laughed. "What d'you propose then, O clever one?" he asked, mock-bowing to James, who rolled his eyes.

"Let's try to break the barrier by – ah – _magical means_ ," he replied with a straight face, before raising his wand. _Stupefy!_ he thought, deciding to test for the Obice Shield first – but the jet of red light simply vaporised about a foot away from the cave entrance. "Hmm – not the Obice," he said, "C'mon, then – brute force it is!"

"My favourite kind," said Sirius, and strode next to him purposefully. Remus and Peter flanked him and Sirius, and Remus said, "Hang on – before we attack, we should see if anyone is inside the cave…"

"Yeah, you're right, Moony," said James, and strode forward, with his friends following him. The cave interior of the cave was dark as the night sky, though – clearly, the person who had left the torch in the cave that night hadn't done so again. Shaking his head, James said, "C'mon – let's stand back and try to break this Shield. No, Padfoot," he added, as Sirius took another step forward, "I swear, if you take another step, I won't cushion your fall this time!"

Scowling, Sirius nodded and followed him and James. Just as they took their positions about ten feet from the cave entrance, however, Peter came hurrying up to them and said excitedly, "You lot – I think I found something!" He waved a piece of parchment; intrigued, James took it from and began to examine it. There seemed to be some writing on it:

 _Nisi thadof per thodef vera thulot Gryffindor thow ab beloc anglicus_

"What in the world –?" said Sirius, "What language is that?"

"I dunno," responded James, thinking hard; he knew that 'vera' meant 'true' in Latin, but that was all – the other words were nonsensical. "I can only understand two words – Gryffindor, and 'vera' – which means 'true' in Latin," he added, his forehead wrinkled. What was a piece of parchment with gibberish on it doing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest?

"Nice going, Pete – where did you find this?" he asked, and the fat boy glowed. "Just at the cave entrance – it was on the ground," he replied, and Sirius and Remus clapped him on the back appreciatively before Remus said, "Well – now that we've checked the cave – how about we try breaking the barrier?"

"Yep – let's try that, it's what we came to do in the first place," said James, pocketing the piece of parchment and drawing his wand. The other three followed suit, and together, the four boys rained spells on the cave barrier; Stunning Spells, Blasting Curses, Severing Charms – whatever they could think of, but nothing happened; their spells simply vaporised as they came within a foot of the entrance.

Not ready to accept defeat just yet, James used the spell Lily had introduced to him, that had successfully smashed the Obice Shield. Praying that it would work, he shouted, " _Ictumalleo!_ " He could feel the force of his spell heading towards the cave barrier, but just like earlier, nothing whatsoever happened. The barrier stayed static and unmoving.

"That was the last thing I could think of," said James dispiritedly. "I guess – we need to come back…"

"Yep, that's what it looks like," said Remus. "I wonder if the library will have something about that shield…" His brow grew furrowed. "Maybe there's something on a shield that can vaporise spells," he said, "I'll look into that. Yep – that's what I'm going to do."

"Leave it to Moony with the fancy research," said Sirius, and Remus snorted. "Would _you_ rather do it, Padfoot?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. Sirius looked revolted at the very idea, and Peter guffawed. An unwilling smile came to James's face. "All right, then – Moony, you look into that," he said. "Maybe I can help, too – this bloody shield has intrigued me, I'd surely like to figure out what the hell it is!"

"Hmm – and until then, Worm and I can try to decipher what that parchment says," said Sirius, and James nodded; he handed over the parchment to his best friend, who pocketed it. "And remember, you lot," said Sirius, "I mean – this stuff is interesting and all, but our main project shouldn't take a backseat –"

"Yeah, of course," said James reassuringly. "Pete's almost ready with some of the sections we weren't gaining access to before – but he says he has the Ravenclaw Tower area roughly mapped out, don't you, Pete?" He looked hopefully at the fat boy, who nodded eagerly. "Give me three days, at most – I'll map out the exact route, and then – then we can use that Homen – er, Human –"

"The _Homonculous_ Charm, mate," supplied Remus, and Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that – blimey, what a mouthful of a name, isn't it?" he asked with a sheepish smile.

"You said it," agreed Sirius. "Right – well, should we head back?"

"Yeah – nothing left to do, I guess," said James, a little dispiritedly. "We need to figure out how to break that damn shield!"

"We will," said Remus, sounding like he always did – quietly confident. James gave him a grin in response, and the Marauders set off towards the castle, wondering what on earth that cave was hiding…

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"No, James – that was a stupid stunt, there was no need of that," Ollie chided as they sat down for dinner one evening after practice. James grinned and said, "Ah, c'mon, Ollie – it was grand, didn't you see how Marlene flailed after I intercepted Liz's pass?"

"I did – and no thanks to you, I nearly got a heart attack!" Ollie exclaimed as she loaded chicken stew and rice on her plate. "Really, there was no need to jump off your broom to grab the Quaffle! You could've been hurt –"

"But I landed back on my broom, didn't I?" James countered airily as he served himself a generous helping of rice and chicken stew as well. "I knew where it was, I was always in control –"

"All the same, don't do that again," reprimanded Ollie. She regarded him with an intense look in her blue eyes, and he sighed. "Fine – I won't," he said, "Happy?"

Ollie grinned and said, "Considerably!" She regarded his face once again with a frown on her face, though it looked more appraising than irritated. "Er – what?" he felt compelled to ask, and she shook her head. "Has your hair always been this unruly?" she asked, and he nodded. "Hmm," she said thoughtfully, "Maybe you ought to consider wearing a hairband – like I do…"

James snorted and exclaimed, "What rubbish! I'd look daft!"

"Grant Anderson wears one," Ollie pointed out, and James drew in a sharp breath; he'd met the England National Team Captain at the Quidditch World Cup nearly two years ago, courtesy of Liz's Mum. He remembered Anderson sporting a hairband that day – in fact, he wore one during every game. "Interesting," he said, "Huh – I didn't think about that…"

"Hey, James, Ollie," greeted a familiar voice, and Liz slid into the seat in front of him. "Hi, Liz," he said, as Ollie smiled at her, "Where's Padfoot?"

"Why, missing your other half?" said Liz, winking at him, and he smirked. "Jealous 'coz he lives with me?" he countered, and she made a face. Ollie looked a little revolted, too, and Liz said, "OK, OK – you win the battle of shamelessness…" She put up her hands as if to indicate that he cease with the stupid jokes, and he grinned. "Where _is_ he, anyway?" he asked nonetheless.

"Still in the common room – he's going over some Herbology stuff with Peter," said Liz, shrugging. "He told me to go ahead and eat – he must've figured out how famished I was," she added fondly, and James snorted. "Or maybe – he just wanted some alone time with, er –"

"Oh, please stop with the gay jokes," interrupted Liz, and James laughed. Ollie shook her head in amusement as Liz continued, "Hasn't he proven that he's as straight as broomstick handle?"

James dissolved into hysterical laughter; so did Ollie, and Liz shut her eyes tight. "OK – I heard it, that came out wrong," she said, flushing, but James and Ollie were too busy guffawing. Liz waited patiently as he collected himself, before saying, "Right – anyway, when you're ready to act your age – oh, for Heaven's sake!" She shook her head as he burst into laughter once again, and Ollie joined in once more. "I think I'll eat with someone else today," said Liz, and she actually made to get up; that sobered James up at once.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, wiping his eyes, "What is it? Did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Obviously – did you think I was here to third-wheel?" Liz shot back, her eyes glinting with mischief. He grinned and said, "How am I to know? You may have other fantasies –"

" _Anyway_ ," Liz cut across him quickly, "I came to ask you if you wanted to chip in for –" she paused momentarily before continuing, "—Lily's birthday present. And it's nice to see you're talking to her again," she added with a slight smile, "I was getting a flashback to the past five years, and it wasn't pretty."

"Why – you and Lily had a quarrel?" Ollie asked curiously, and James glared at Liz, who looked apologetic. He turned to face Ollie, and gave her a winning sort of smile. "Er – yeah, but it's old news now," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "We're back to talking."

"That's – good," said Ollie slowly. "I mean – you're friends, right? I guess it's important to sort things out before they go too bad."

"Yep," interjected Liz, "And on that note, James – would you like to contribute? We're getting her one of those coming-of-age watches…"

"How much do they cost – an arm and a leg?" asked James, raising his eyebrows. "If we're getting her something special for her seventeenth birthday, shouldn't it be something – grand?"

"Yeah, I know about your inclination towards _grand_ ," said Liz, placing undue emphasis on 'grand' as she gave Ollie a mischievous sort of wink; his girlfriend blushed and gave him an embarrassed sort of smile. "But – I have a feeling that the watch will mean so much more to her than a grand present, James," Liz said further. She lowered her voice before adding, "Sometimes – I think she feels that – er, well, she isn't truly a part of our world. Now, I know that's rubbish –" she said as James snorted, "—and don't ask me why. Hence, getting her that coming-of-age watch is a way to make her realise that this is her world, too… And that we all feel the same way." She gave him an inquiring sort of look, as if daring him to counter-argue…

"Your logic is ironclad," he responded, and she relaxed at once. "Count me in! What do I do, give you the money now?"

"Later," said Liz, shaking her head. "I know it seems too small a gift for her seventeenth birthday, but – I have a feeling that it'll mean more to her than if we give her any other present!"

James nodded in understanding. "You're a good friend, Liz," he said appreciatively, and Liz smiled. "I know," she said with a twinkle in her sea-green eyes, and James snorted. Before he could say anything more, however, Ollie's soft voice came from next to him, "Er – Can I chip in, too?"

There was a pause as James and Liz exchanged a glance, following which Liz turned to Ollie with an uncertain sort of smile. "Er – that's very nice of you, Ollie," she said, "But – d'you really want to? I mean – are you even –"

"Friends with her? No," said Ollie, shaking her head. "But I'd like to be… She helped me out once when James was teaching me the Stunning Spell, and I've seen her in Prefect meetings… She seems to be really nice – she's friends with you both, and – well, _I'm_ friends with you both, too…" Her voice trailed off, and she gave James a hopeful look.

"C'mon, Ollie," he said gently, "You don't have to –"

"I know," she cut across him swiftly, "But I want to…"

James exchanged a quick glance with Liz, mentally asking for advice… She gave him the tiniest of nods, and he blinked once before turning back towards Ollie. "Fine, then," he relented, "I'm sure she'll appreciate it." Ollie smiled in relief and went back to her food. Conversation moved on to other things, and James retreated into his own mind as the two girls began to giggle about a Ravenclaw bloke and some girl who had been set up by their friends…

He debated inwardly whether to tell Ollie what Lily had said about her. True, Lily may have been looking out for him, but she didn't have to insult Ollie while doing it, however implicitly that may have been… But it was in the past now, and he had no wish to dredge it up again. Besides, Ollie clearly wanted to make an effort to be friends with Lily – despite telling him a few days ago about the unfriendly sort of vibe she got from the redhead. _What a girl_ , he thought admiringly. _She's amazing…_

Lily's birthday dawned a couple days later. According to Liz's plan; all of them were to meet in the common room at midnight (James and Sirius had tried and failed to persuade Liz to shift the party to the Three Broomsticks instead), and James waited with Ollie and the Marauders as the girls made their way down the spiral staircase, followed closely by Adam. Peter Summoned the cake he'd procured from the kitchens and left on a table near the fire (it wobbled in the air dangerously and threatened to tip over before landing smoothly on the table in front of them), and Liz proceeded to light seventeen candles on it. "Now, blow!" she instructed, and Lily obeyed happily; they proceeded to sing 'Happy Birthday' in different, off-tune keys as Lily cut a piece of the cake and offered it to Liz (James couldn't help but feel a tiny twinge of satisfaction that it hadn't been Adam who got first bite), who responded in kind.

Adam kissed Lily and handed her a little box; she squealed, "C'mon – you shouldn't have! You said you weren't going to!" He simply smiled, indicating to her to open the present, and she cheerfully found a beautiful but flimsy-looking necklace with a heart pendant. Liz proceeded to give Lily their gift (James curiously wondered why Adam hadn't been part of this before understanding that he'd probably wanted to give her a separate present), and he looked on, gratified, as she was moved to tears after receiving the watch and being told of its significance.

A round of hugs to wish the birthday girl ensued; James glanced at his girlfriend, who was standing awkwardly on the side, and gave her an encouraging sort of nod. As if taking heart from this, she stepped forward and shook Lily's hand, saying, "Er – happy birthday, Lily… I'm glad you liked the watch."

"Thanks, Olivia," said Lily, a genuine smile on her face. "You chipped in, too?"

"Yep," said Ollie, grinning (a little nervously, according to James), "Like Liz said, it's a tradition to gift that watch on someone's seventeenth birthday – like the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge!"

"You know about the Summer Solstice tradition?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised. Ollie's grin widened. "Yeah – but it's the history behind the tradition which interests me more. Wizarding history is intertwined with the _arguably_ more interesting Muggle history… For instance, I doubt if any of this lot knows how much Grindelwald's reign of terror was tied into the Second World War," she said, catching James's eye and winking.

"Really?" Lily asked, interested. James caught on to how her emerald eyes were lit up; it was her thrill of learning something new – he decided to interrupt before the first minutes of Lily's seventeenth birthday became a full-fledged history lesson. "Happy birthday!" he exclaimed, and pulled her into a hug. He felt her arms around him as she whispered, "Thanks, James." She drew back, and he saw a little blush on her cheeks. Unfortunately, Peter chose that very moment to Levitate a piece of cake towards Lily – before losing control and managing to splat it on her face instead of feeding her. Everyone laughed and chatted for at least an hour more before Mary regretfully announced that it was still a weekday, and they all had lessons in the morning…

James quickly kissed Ollie goodnight before proceeding to follow the other boys up the spiral staircase. He was feeling proud of his girlfriend; she was making an effort to befriend all his friends – even the ones not on the Quidditch team. _She must really like me_ , he thought, gratified. His thoughts went to Lily and the blush on her face as she'd drawn back from his hug… What was that all about?

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"C'mon, concentrate," said James tersely, mostly to himself than to Lily as he struggled to make a corporeal Patronus appear. No one in their class had succeeded so far, which meant that Professor Burke was calling them names markedly less polite than 'dunderheads' – and that was getting on James's nerves. Judging by the look on Lily's face, he wasn't alone…

"I am, James," she responded, just as succinctly. "But she's annoying –"

"Ignore her," he said. "Now – I'm going to try again…" He concentrated on Ollie's sweet smile, and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!" However, just as it had several times before, only a ball of silver mist appeared from his wand. "Try something happier," said Lily, her voice gentle. "I think you nearly got it."

James understood; she was encouraging him, regardless of her inability to conjure the Patronus herself… _Maybe she thinks that if I can cast it, I'll help her too_ , he thought, before dismissing the notion; she wasn't someone who gave up. Nay, she was gritty and stubborn – a fact that had been demonstrated by her flame barrier last year.

He'd been so happy when she'd agreed to be friends with him in the aftermath of that battle. He'd performed a jig after he'd left the Hospital Wing that morning, so ecstatic he'd been… _Wait a minute_ , he thought. _That's a happy memory, isn't it?_ Concentrating on how he'd felt that night, he narrowed his eyes and shouted, " _Expecto Patronum!_ "

A large, silver animal shot out of his wand. His eyes widened in surprise – it was a stag, complete with antlers and even a little tail. The stag cantered around the classroom as everyone turned around to watch, before coming back to stand in front of him… He heard Lily clapping as he extended a hand to his Patronus, trying to pat it – but it vanished just when his hand was inches away.

"See? I told you you'd get it," said Lily jubilantly, as Professor Burke called from the other side of the room, "Well, it's about time someone cast a Patronus in this classroom… Potter, don't get cocky, boy – try it again until you can cast it five times in succession!"

He nodded once at the Professor as Lily said, "Nicely done – proud of you, James!" She exchanged an overhead clap with him, and he gave her a triumphant grin. "C'mon – you can do it, too," he replied, "You need the perfect memory for it…"

"What memory did you use?" she asked him curiously.

"It's different for everyone," he said, sidestepping the question. "Now, c'mon – try it…"

He spent the rest of the lesson practising with her, and about five minutes before the bell was due to ring, he whooped in happiness as another silver animal emerged from Lily's wand. "You did it!" he exclaimed, before taking a closer look at her Patronus… His mouth fell open in surprise. Her Patronus looked just like his – except for the fact that it was smaller, prettier, and lither; but most importantly, it had no antlers. It was a doe, and she pranced around in front of them before regarding them imperiously and vanishing.

James stole a glance at Lily, who was standing there rigidly, her cheeks flaming. He felt disquieted, too… His Patronus was a stag, and hers was a doe. They seemed to complement each other, for whatever reason… But whatever did it mean? Was it significant that her Patronus was a female counterpart of his own?

As he stood there thinking, a movement caught his eye; he was startled to see another silver doe, identical to Lily's, prance around the classroom elegantly. He wondered if she'd cast it again, but her wand was lowered, and she was staring in disbelief at someone a few feet away from them… He followed her gaze and felt the familiar rush of hatred as he spied Snape, standing with his wand raised, returning Lily's stare with an inscrutable expression on his ugly face.

The bell rang at that moment, and Lily quickly rushed out of the classroom with her bag, without even stopping to say goodbye to James. He supposed that it had been too much for her, the whole bit about their complementing Patronuses; add Snape's doe Patronus to that, and what remained was a massive sort of muddle. What in the world did it mean?

Lily seemed to subtly avoid James as January faded into February. He didn't mull over it too much, though – he had more pressing business on his head. In their proof-read of the map they were creating, the Marauders had found a mistake in their mapping of the fifth floor, and were currently occupied with fixing it; they'd gone out for their first full-moon outing since the Christmas holidays, successfully going up to Hogsmeade through the Forbidden Forest (James had made sure that Moony didn't exit the Forest, choosing to leave that part of the adventure for next month instead); he and Remus had spent some time reading up on magical shields and barriers, but hadn't found anything helpful; they all had their lessons, though admittedly James wasn't having much of a problem keeping up with his work; and lastly, the Marauders had all been able to conjure corporeal Patronuses – with James unsurprised at everyone's Patronus forms; a dog for Sirius, a wolf for Remus, and a rat for Peter.

The sixth-years' Apparition classes took place in the grounds, where a diminutive Ministry wizard came to teach them the nuances of the process. However, the first two classes produced no positive results at all, and by the end of the second, James was beginning to think that he'd be better off with brooms or Floo powder instead – but he knew how powerful Apparition could be, so he decided to redouble his efforts to learn it, whether he liked or not.

The Valentine's Day Hogsmeade weekend was scheduled on the Saturday a few days after the day in question, and James and Ollie decided to walk to the village instead of the carriages. They spent most of the morning shopping (Ollie bought him a hairband, and he reassured her that he'd wear it on the day of their next practice) before meeting up with Liz and Sirius for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. After a healthy discussion about Quidditch and speculation on how in the world had Adam Wright secured a contract with the Madrid Guerreros, Sirius and Liz headed off to Zonko's; Ollie gave a most unladylike snort when James asked if she wanted to go to Madam Puddifoot's, and they spent the next five minutes laughing hard at the cheesy old teashop before going uphill towards the Shrieking Shack (Ollie wanted a closer look at the building that had been haunted since the past six years). As they neared the fence around the Shack, however, Ollie came to an abrupt halt.

"What's on your mind, James?" she asked, causing James to pause midway through a retelling of a funny story involving Peter, Sirius, and a bet that forced the loser to run around in his underpants in the common room. He wrinkled his forehead and asked, "Er – I don't know what you're talking about."

But she shook her head. "You and Lily have a row again?" she asked, and he regarded her with confusion. "Why would you think we had a row?" he asked, and Ollie shook her head. "I dunno – I mean, I've noticed that she's been a little – I dunno, distant, with you? Since the end of last month, I think," she added thoughtfully, "After her birthday, I think… Yes, definitely after her birthday."

James decided against telling Ollie about the weirdness about their Patronus forms; in his head, he didn't know what it meant, and as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter. "Nah – nothing," he said dismissively; smirking a little, he added, "In fact – I'll show you what's on my mind…" He bent downwards and kissed her gently, and she responded in kind with great gusto.

Talking and laughing, the two of them made their way back to the castle as the sun dipped low in the sky. As they neared the Entrance Hall, however, James paused, and gave Ollie a box he'd been holding on to all day – waiting for the right moment. She opened it eagerly, and gave him a delighted look as she removed a pair of golden earrings with an odd pattern… "My, it's like Stonehenge!" she exclaimed, and James grinned. "I know – I had these custom-made," he said proudly. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Oh, really – you shouldn't have!" she said softly, her cheeks red as she tried to conceal her pleasure at receiving them. "You already got me Freddie Greengrass's bat –"

"It was worth it to see you so happy," James replied serenely, and Ollie beamed at him before kissing him once again. She immediately put on the earrings, and they walked into the Great Hall hand-in-hand for dinner, where they met Remus, who had opted to remain in the castle all day, finishing up his homework. They exchanged small talk before Ollie announced regretfully that while it had been an amazing day, she really, _really_ had to get started on her homework. Giving James another kiss, she waved goodbye to Remus before departing the Great Hall.

"So – have you talked to Lily?" Remus asked him as soon as Ollie was gone. James shook his head, and Remus sighed. "C'mon, mate – you _need_ to, sooner or later. Just – _do_ it… I've been telling you that for days now."

"I dunno, Moony," he said, "I mean, she clearly thinks that there's more to our Patronus forms than pure coincidence – and we're fine, she's still quite friendly towards me!"

"I know," said Remus, "But it'll always be an elephant in the room, mate. Just tell her that it means nothing – that her and Snape both having a doe Patronus also means nothing…"

James sighed. "Fine – I'll talk to her… No time like the present, is there?" He stood up, and gave Remus a little wave before heading off to find Lily and have what was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation…

He didn't find her in the common room. He ran into Marlene, who said that she hadn't seen Lily either. Curious, James decided to look for her, and began a meticulous search of the castle using his many shortcuts. _I wish we had that map now_ , he thought regretfully. _But – Pete messed up – and we can't have map that's wrong. No way…_

About half an hour later, as he walked by the Astronomy Tower, he saw a solitary figure standing near the balustrade, staring into the night. A closer look confirmed that it was indeed the person he'd been looking for, and he strode forward quickly. "Hi, Lily," he said, smiling… A smile which faded as she turned around and faced him.

Even in the dim moonlight, he could see that her eyes were red, and that there were tear streaks on her cheeks. His smile faded, and he asked with some concern, "Er – you all right?"

"No," she said softly, sounding like she had a cold. She sniffed and turned away from him, deliberately avoiding his eyes.

"What happened, Lily?" he asked gently, but she shook her head. "Nothing, I –" she began, but he cut across her. "You've been crying," he pointed out. "What happened? Why are you so upset?" He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she still refused to meet his eyes. Sighing a little, he moved directly into her line of sight. At that, she let out a little sob, and he quickly said, "There, there – it'll be all right, whatever it is… C'mere –"

He embraced her, and she began to cry in earnest over his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair, wondering what had caused her to get so upset… His question was answered almost immediately. "Adam and I split up," she managed to choke out, and James delicately stroked her back, not quite sure what to say. A few months ago, he'd have rejoiced at this turn of events, but now – now, he wasn't so sure…

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 **Author's note:** When I read the scene where James kisses Ollie, I couldn't help thinking, "Smooth!" Is it just me, or does anyone else think the same?


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, CB, Anna, Pratha and Ridhi Jain (Welcome!). Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks so much! I know the update took longer than usual, but the past month was a little crazy. I hope you like this chapter!

 **CB:** Glad you did! Hope you like this one too!

 **Anna:** Well… Jily happens in seventh year, so you're going to have to bear with me for a while… Sorry! Blame JKR for that, haha! And yes, it has been a month, I think this update came a little later than usual. Crazy times at work! But I hope you like this chapter, too!

 **Pratha:** Thanks! Haha, I wish I could say more, but I can't, it may just spoil things… So, I guess you're going to have to be patient!

 **Ridhi Jain:** Wow, thank you! It's very kind of you to say so, and I'm flattered that you got hooked to this story that you read it in two days! Well, I'm afraid that pace is going to go down now, and you're going to read it as fast as I can write it! And yes, this took a while… It was a crazy month at work!

Hello everyone, here is chapter eleven. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Eleven**

" **If you need help, all you have to do is ask."**

"I'm sorry to hear it," James said softly as he gently patted Lily's back. He heard her give a disbelieving sort of snort. "No, you're not," she said, and James laughed inwardly; how had she known? Sure, he was sorry that she was upset, but in his head, a person like her shouldn't be dating a coward like Adam Wright – someone who running away from the war to save their own skin, at a time when the Wizarding world was in chaos and in desperate need of fighters to rally against Lord Voldemort.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said, with a hint of a smile as she continued to sniff. At that, she drew back slowly, and said, "Oh, I dunno – except for the fact that when he told you and the team about his contract with that Madrid team – _Hureros_ or something –"

" _Guerreros_ ," corrected James, "That's Spanish for 'Warriors' –"

"OK, Mr Linguist," she cut across him tersely, "But that's _not_ the point – what I'm saying is, when he told you and the team, everyone congratulated him – but I saw the look on your face. You disapproved, did you?"

He simply gazed at her, startled. He'd tried to hide his true emotions, definitely – but if Lily had been able to pick up on his disdain, he'd clearly done a poor job of it. Despite the tears in her eyes, she still looked at him triumphantly and said, "There you go – I know you thought he was being a coward or something, running away…"

Unbelievable – she _had_ to have read his mind. How _did_ she know? "Are you using Legilimency on me, Lily?" he asked, only half in jest. She rolled her eyes and said, "No, you prat – don't you remember that we talked about this – you and your Quidditch dream – a month ago?" She looked away, blushing slightly, and he nodded… _So, I was right_ , he thought with an inward smile. _There_ was _more to it…_

She sniffled again, and he put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "C'mon," he said, "Let's go – I know just the place to cheer you up."

"Kitchens?" she asked, a little glimmer of hope in her eyes. He grinned and said, "You're doing it again – using Legilimency –"

"Ugh," she grunted, shaking her head. Then a hesitant look came onto her face. "Er – actually, I'll just go back to the common room," she said, looking away. Nonplussed, he asked, "No, c'mon – some food will definitely make you feel happier –"

"It's not that," she said, clearly trying keep her tone even (though he detected an undercurrent of impatience in her voice), "It's just that – well –"

"What?" he pressed, and she faced him at last.

"You're not my boyfriend!" she burst out. At that, James raised his eyebrows… _Not for lack of trying_ , he thought wryly. She continued irritably, "You're _somebody else's_ boyfriend – and one doesn't go to someone else's boyfriend with their problems!"

"So?" he countered, "We're _friends!_ And friends are always there for each other!"

"Olivia wouldn't like it, James," Lily said, and he snorted. "Ollie's cool," he reassured her, "She'll be fine – she knows that you and I are friends… Now, c'mon," he added. "Kitchens – let's get you some fruit trifle. Chop chop!"

Sighing, she shook her head and allowed him to shepherd her back into the castle. "The tower – it wasn't cold at all," James commented as they walked. "Your work, I presume?"

She nodded and said, "Warming Charm – and when you arrived, I covered you with it, too… Can't have you freeze to death, now, can we?"

"Nah – then who would be around to annoy you?" he said mischievously, and she snorted and said, "Not like you do that anymore, though…" She sounded almost wistful, and James resisted the urge to point out that it had been _she_ who'd avoided him for the better part of the past two weeks, thanks to that business with their Patronuses. _She's upset as it is_ , he thought, deciding to hold his tongue for now…

They made it to the kitchens, and the house-elves immediately offered them a large bowl of fruit trifle, as well as two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. They even managed to persuade Lily to take a box of cupcakes, undoubtedly after noticing that her eyes were the same shade as her hair, and that she looked upset… _Kind souls they are_ , thought James admiringly. Thanking them, he guided Lily to the same room where they'd brewed the Widerwille Potion (it was becoming a sort of refuge spot for him, owing to the small number of people that knew of its existence), and they sat at the table there, facing each other.

"Well?" James prodded, after she'd taken two bites of her fruit trifle, "Spill it… What happened?"

"I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it," she said, her words coming out in a rush. James reached ahead to gently pat her shoulder and said, "Trust me – you'll feel better. Just like happiness has to be spread, sadness needs to be expressed, too… Otherwise, it just eats you up from within."

She gave him a sceptical glance, and he pressed gently, "C'mon – just tell me what happened."

She sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you," she said, relenting. "It went like this…"

XXXXX Lily's POV XXXXX

"C'mon – let's go there, we didn't go there the last time," said Adam as they walked, hand-in-hand, along the Main Street in Hogsmeade. Lily followed his gaze, and felt a little twinge of embarrassment; he was pointing to Madam Puddifoot's Teashop, which was notorious as the place where couples regularly went to. She nodded nonetheless; now that they were dating, she supposed that they'd have to go there sooner or later. She followed him up the side street into the little teashop, and looked around, cringing, as they entered; the interior was of a colour that seemed to be a cross between peach and baby pink, and the whole place seemed to be decorated with frills or bows. _Valentine's Day was a few days ago_ , she thought distastefully as she gazed at the number of golden cherubs that hovered over each of the little circular tables and occasionally threw pink confetti over the occupants. Shaking her head, she followed Adam into a corner of the cramped teashop, carefully weaving her way through a mass of occupied tables and chairs.

"Right – what would you like?" Adam asked her brightly, glancing at the menu. "Look, there still seem to be some Valentine's Day specials – the 'Cupid Coffee', 'Tender Tea', 'Charming Chocolate', 'Mushy Milkshake' –"

"Ugh – I'm not drinking anything that says _mushy_ ," said Lily, wrinkling her nose distastefully. Really, what was Madam Puddifoot thinking? _Mushy Milkshake, indeed_ , she thought with a derisive inward smile.

Adam grinned. "Fine – just coffee, then," he said, just as Madam Puddifoot arrived. "Happy Belated Valentine's Day, my dears," she said cheerfully, "What can I get you today?"

 _A ticket out of here_ , thought Lily wryly, but she held her tongue as Adam said, "Hmm – two Cupid Coffees, please." Madam Puddifoot nodded and gave them a perky wave before heading back to her station. "So, we're going with the specials?" Lily said with a slight smile, and Adam gave her a seductive sort of look. "Specials for the special," he declared, and she grinned widely despite herself, giving a mental sigh. How she wished things were different…

It hadn't really been the easiest month since school had restarted. First, over the holidays, she'd managed to cause James to blow a fuse after she'd (albeit delicately) told him what she thought of his new girlfriend. Then, Adam had told her that he'd effectively be living in Spain once he graduated from Hogwarts, and had even urged her to join him there once _she_ graduated, too – something she wasn't particularly inclined to do at this stage. Luckily, she and James were back to talking now, but she could feel the distance between them. She hardly saw him anymore; she supposed that he spent as much time with Olivia Dunbar as she did with Adam. However, with Liz going out with Black and Remus being cooped up in the library for reasons unknown to her (she supposed that he was studying hard), Lily really missed the presence of James, whom she'd grown accustomed to in the first term of that year.

Then something had happened a fortnight ago that had just widened the gap between her and James. They'd been both able to successfully cast corporeal Patronuses in their DADA class, and much to her intense chagrin and confusion, his had been a stag while hers had been a doe – perfectly complementing each other. She'd hardly had time to wrap her head around that before she'd seen another doe – identical to hers – cast by none other than her former friend, Severus…

It had been too much, and she'd just decided to implicitly avoid James until she sorted out the muddle in her head. She'd been to the library to look it up, but hadn't found anything on complementing _or_ identical Patronuses. Wanting to put it out of her mind, she'd sought refuge with Adam, spending almost every minute she could spare (aside from her lessons, studying, and Prefect duties) with him. However, that time hadn't quite been the blissful relaxation that she'd hoped for; they'd had a few more conversations on the war and his impending shift to Spain, and she'd somehow felt less and less satisfied as he'd talked of how the war had affected his plans and dreams. _Everything isn't about you_ , she'd thought on at least two or three occasions…

That morning, she'd decided to confront him with her own opinions and notions about the war. She'd been hoping to do it privately, but he'd insisted on coming to this teashop after lunch, and she'd given in, deciding to talk to him later. It wasn't really a conversation she was looking forward to having; she disagreed with his views, and she had a feeling that he was going to take it as well as Skele-Gro.

"Lily – earth to Lily," came a voice, and she was promptly jolted back into the present as Adam waved his hand in front of her face. "Sorry," she said contritely, "I guess I got a little distracted – that Transfiguration essay on how to change hair colour non-verbally has got me a bit uptight… Owing to the fact that I have _no_ idea how to do it." She looked away as she spoke, partly due to the embarrassment over the truth of that statement, and partly due to the lie regarding what she was distracted about.

"Don't worry – you'll get there," Adam said reassuringly, patting her hand. "If you like, we could go over it after we get back into the castle."

"That's – great, thanks, Adam," Lily said, relieved. _Hmm… Maybe something good came out of the lie_ , she thought wryly. Deciding to give him her undivided attention, she said, "Sorry – you were saying?"

Madam Puddifoot arrived with their coffees at that very moment, and set down the cups in front of them. Lily noticed that the foam on the surface of her coffee was shaped like an angel with a bow and arrow, and miniature heart-shaped foam masses floated around the cup in a circular fashion. "Wow – this is pretty cute," she said with genuine admiration, and Madam Puddifoot gave her a dazzling smile and said, "For that, dear, you can get _anything_ off the menu – at half-price. What would you like?"

"Really?" Lily asked her with a smile, her eyebrows raised. Madam Puddifoot nodded vigorously, and Lily took the menu once again… "D'you want to split the Croissant of Cheer, Adam?" she asked her boyfriend, who grinned and said, "Order two – one won't be enough."

"Done," said Lily, and Madam Puddifoot bowed to them before hurrying away. Turning back towards Adam, she said, "So – what were you saying?"

"I was just talking about how I got an answer from the Guerreros Keeper," he replied, a gleam in his eyes. "The bloke's thirty-five, he's going to retire next year, and his understudy is just twenty-two – so, I wrote to him to ask if he could give me a few tips, you know, here and there, to help me out as much as possible… And he replied! I mean, I wasn't expecting it, really… But wow, that felt _so_ good! He said he'd be happy to assist me…"

Lily listened with a smile on her face, nodding along as he spoke so passionately about the sport he loved, but she wasn't really paying attention. _There he goes_ , she thought resignedly… It wasn't that she minded Quidditch talk; indeed, her best friend, her best friend's boyfriend, and her other friends were guilty of it often, but she'd never had a problem with it. With Adam, however, the situation was different… His Quidditch talk acted as a constant reminder of how he was going to leave Britain after graduating from Hogwarts, indifferent towards the war that threatened to consume the British Wizarding world.

Perhaps he caught on to her growing disinterest, for he said, "Oh, and one more thing happened yesterday after Quidditch practice, when you were talking to Marlene."

"Really?" she asked, leaning forward. "What's that?"

"I was following James, Ollie, Sirius and Liz towards the changing rooms," he began, "When Sirius said, 'So, Jamie – did you see what Minchum had to say this morning?'"

Lily frowned; she was sure that he was talking about the Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum, and his latest announcement – that the number of Dementors in Azkaban would be increased by about fifty percent. "Was he talking about the Dementors?" she asked Adam nonetheless.

"Yup," said Adam grimly. "Sirius and James discussed that before Sirius said that he couldn't wait to graduate and join the fight against You-Know-Who himself."

"That sounds like Black, all right," she said, grinning slightly as she felt her respect for Sirius Black rise.

Adam snorted. "Him, a seventeen-year-old? What chance does a seventeen-year-old have against You-Know-Who?" he asked, a little disparagingly.

Lily frowned. "You're speaking as if he's going to go out looking for You-Know-Who," she said.

Adam snorted. "No, no – 'course not!" he said, waving a dismissive hand, "But then – James said that he couldn't wait either, and Liz echoed him… I remember shaking my head sceptically when I heard that." He shook his head, as if to demonstrate. "I mean, can you _believe_ that? Seventeen-year-olds, joining the war?"

"Actually – I can," said Lily, struggling to control her irritation. _Maybe now it's time to talk about it_ , she thought, sighing… _After all, he's given me an opening himself!_

Adam made a small, disbelieving noise. "C'mon, Lily," he said patiently, "Seventeen-year-olds, fighting an adult war? They'll get themselves killed!"

"But they'll go down fighting," Lily countered swiftly. "Look," she added as he opened his mouth to argue, "Wait – just hear me out, OK?" He nodded, and she continued, "They're right – in a year's time, it'll be our fight, too. And c'mon – if _we_ don't fight, who will?"

"We're better off leaving it to the authorities," said Adam gently. "The Ministry, the Aurors – _they'll_ handle it. There's no need for us to get killed – we'll just get in the way." He placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed it.

Lily wasn't about to give up, however. "What if we train hard?" she asked firmly. "Then we won't get in the way – we'll _actually_ be able to help out and do something worthwhile!"

He remained silent, and she ploughed on, "And besides, there's more than one ways to contribute towards winning the war. For instance – one can learn to be a Healer at St Mungo's, and treat the injured. One can carry out research on new and more powerful spells and potions, which would undoubtedly benefit us – help us against You-Know-Who and his band of Death Eaters." She gazed at him steadily. "Like I said, multiple ways to help out."

"And you're _seriously_ considering that?" he asked, unable to keep a note of disbelief out of his voice. She nodded slowly and said. "Why, yes – obviously."

There was a pause, as Madam Puddifoot brought their croissants. They thanked her and waited for her to leave before resuming their discussion. "But, Lily," said Adam softly, "C'mon – think about it. The Dark Side – they're targeting Muggleborns. Don't you feel you'd be safer – if you leave the country? I mean, the you wouldn't have to worry about this stupid war if you were on the Continent –"

"But don't you _see?_ " Lily interrupted, no longer bothering to hide her irritation. "You said it yourself – they're attacking _Muggleborns_ , which makes this personal for me." She surprised even herself with the force in her voice. "Dammit, Adam – that's reason enough for me to stay and join the fight!" she exclaimed.

"You don't have to," he said, still in that annoyingly calm way, but his grip over her hand tightened. "Come with me – once you graduate, come away to Spain, away from this bleak environment where you'll have to constantly keep looking over your shoulder. You'll be safe there."

"I know," Lily said tersely. "The question, however, is – do I _want_ to come to Spain? Do I want to leave Britain, a place where people like me are being targeted, tortured and killed?" She paused, and looked at him intensely. He didn't look away, and she continued, "Well – the answer is, _no_. I can't just sit around when this – _injustice_ – is so prevalent in our world. And I'm _going_ to help – as long as I have the ability to do it."

There was a silence, where they continued to stare at each other. Lily studied his grey eyes, which gave nothing away… She marvelled at how well he was hiding his emotions. At last, he said, "So – you've made your choice, then."

"Yeah – just like you," she replied softly, and he raised his eyebrows. "Don't you think this is something you should've run by me first?" he asked, frowning.

Lily felt her temper rise, but she merely took a deep breath and said softly, "Well – did you?"

"Er – no," he admitted, "But c'mon – it was very soon after we started to go out, and I didn't think I should've run decisions like playing for the Guerreros by you before I made them!"

"You're right – you shouldn't have," she agreed. "Just like _I_ shouldn't need to run any of _my_ decisions by _you_ before I make them."

"This is different," he said, speaking a little fast, "This is a question of life and death –"

"Yes," said Lily impatiently, "And if people like us run away, who will be left to fight?"

"Run away?" he echoed, frowning. "What are you saying? I'm going to Spain to pursue my dream – not _running away!_ " He looked suitably affronted, and Lily sought to make amends. "Look, I'm not saying that _you're_ running away," she said reassuringly. _I'm_ thinking _it, though_ , she added dryly to herself. "You have your dreams, and I respect that," she continued, "As do I – but I want to stay and fight the war before I follow my dreams. And forgive me, but I just think that given the circumstances, leaving the country to follow a career in Quidditch doesn't seem like the right thing to do to me."

There, she'd said it. It had come out to be a little more bluntly than she'd intended it to be, but she didn't regret it… _I took a leaf out of James's book_ , she thought. _Dammit – the bugger's starting to grow on me…_

"But, Lily," said Adam feelingly, "C'mon – you can't fault me for wanting to follow my dreams!"

"I'm not," said Lily quickly, "I'm just saying – there's a time and place for following one's dreams!"

"Which, for me, is _now_ – and in _Spain_ ," he countered.

There was a pause, following which Lily withdrew her hand and gave a scornful laugh. She couldn't believe what she was hearing… "Y'know, James is an excellent Quidditch player himself," she said, struggling to keep the contempt out of her voice. "And yet, like you pointed out a few minutes ago, he's going to join the fight. All I was saying is, why aren't you?"

"Because it's not _our_ fight," said Adam softly. "The authorities –"

"I don't care about the authorities!" Lily exclaimed, before realizing she'd been a bit too loud; people were staring at them. She lowered her voice and said, "Look – authorities and Aurors aside, who else is there? What if, tomorrow, You-Know-Who decides to attack the Ministry and kill everybody in one shot? What then?"

"The Ministry has several protective enchantments," he responded, and she rolled her eyes. "Not the point," she said with forced calm, "What I'm saying is, what if everyone decides to leave the country tomorrow, saying it's not their war to fight? Isn't that a little – I dunno – _cowardly?_ "

There, she'd said it again – no mincing of words; just her opinion, straight and simple. She waited for him to react; his face was again inscrutable, but his eyes were hard. "Are you inferring that I'm a coward?" he asked, and his voice was cold.

She shook her head. "No – but I implied it," she said, a little disdainfully. She couldn't believe that their disagreement had come to this – that she'd lost so much respect for him in such a short span of time. "You inferred that yourself," she added.

"You're being unfair," he said frigidly.

"Maybe I am," she replied tersely. She wasn't sure what else to say; in her head, she was weighing if she could visualize some sort of future with him – would she shift to Spain in a year's time, while her friends joined the battle against You-Know-Who? Could she even stomach the fact that they'd be risking their lives every day, while she basked in the warm Spanish sun? The answer was quite obvious to her… "You're free to follow your dreams, Adam," she added gently, "But – don't expect _me_ to be a part of them."

 _It's the right thing to do_ , she told herself. She didn't want to stand in his way, and if he couldn't understand her position, there really was no point for them to be together, was there? _Better to end it before I get in too deep_ , she thought firmly.

"Are we splitting up?" Adam asked softly, his grey eyes intense.

She sighed, and stood up. She had absolutely no intention to cause a scene. "You're a good person, Adam," she said delicately, "And someday, you're going to make some girl very happy. Unfortunately – that's not me."

She stood up and withdrew a few Sickles from her pocket. He remained seated; he looked like he was in shock, for his eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly open. Still, he mustered the will to say, "So – _who_ do you think will make you happy?" There was an undercurrent of anger in his voice as he asked, "James?"

Lily paused and thought about that for a second. James had Quidditch-related dreams, too. He was intelligent, brave, and chivalrous… He was going to fight the war, and he too had the courage to put his dreams on hold, just like her. Would he – _actually_ make her happy? Was _he_ the correct person for her to be with?

Aloud, she said, "I dunno – but it doesn't matter. The important thing is, _you_ won't." She regretted her harshness immediately, and added in a gentler tone, "Goodbye, Adam… See you around, I guess – or not."

She placed the Sickles in her hand on the table, and with a final regretful glance at her (now-ex) boyfriend, walked out of the cramped teashop with her head held high. She didn't pause to see if he was following her, but began to sprint towards the castle, her mind in a turmoil as she ran. Had she made the right decision? Had she been unfair, or unreasonable, or hasty even? Was she being rash and impulsive – which was quite unlike her?

She didn't stop running until she arrived into the Entrance Hall. Not feeling particularly hungry, she made straight for her dormitory, barely acknowledging a couple of second-years as they shyly waved to her. She threw herself on her bed – and let the tears fall. Oh, he was such a nice bloke – a real catch. Why couldn't they see eye-to-eye on something that was so important to her?

She didn't know how long she stayed there, but the gradual rumble of noise told her that the other students were slowly returning to the castle. Not wanting to speak to Liz and the others just yet (especially after their presumably blissful Valentine's Day dates), Lily cast a powerful Disillusionment Charm over herself and made her way towards the Astronomy tower. She didn't know how long she remained there, staring into the distance over the balustrade, her mind still undecided on whether she'd made the right decision…

She lifted her Disillusionment Charm and cast a Warming Charm around herself as the air grew steadily colder. She wished she had someone she could talk to… But she didn't feel like facing anyone just yet. And so, she remained there, taking savage pleasure in sending away at least four couples (who had obviously arrived at the tower to engage in amorous activities) from the tower. Love was in the air, all right – but she could do without it in the air around her, thank you very much.

She stood there, lost in thought and letting her tears fall occasionally, until she heard yet another set of footsteps. A sideways glance told her that it was someone very familiar, and she gazed back into the distance again, waiting for him to come to her…

"Hi, Lily," came the warm voice of James Potter, and she turned to face him, watching his smile fade as he clearly saw her upset visage…

XXXXX End of Lily's POV XXXXX

"And that's that," said Lily, finishing the last of her trifle. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a nice bloke and all – but with all the stuff happening in Britain right now, I think that every able witch or wizard should join the fight against You-Know-Who. I'm sorry," she added, holding up her hands, "I know I'm being unreasonable, and I can't make other people's decisions for them – but that's just how I feel."

James just stared at her, feeling a mix of emotions – disbelief at the strength of her resolve, derision with Adam Wright's thought process, but most importantly, he felt proud of her – proud of the way she had stood her ground, articulating her thoughts clearly and completely. He couldn't help it; a little grin came to his face. _She's strong_ , he thought. _Very strong indeed…_

Lily was watching him a little piteously. " _Say_ something, James," she said, "Don't just sit there – am I being too harsh? I mean, I'm all for people following their dreams – but this war, it's so much bigger than our dreams, isn't it? Until there's safety, security and stability in the Magical world, we can't follow our dreams the way we want… And if I can do anything – yes, _anything_ – to help, I will!"

Again, her words rang with conviction, and James grinned. "I couldn't agree more," he said brightly. "I agree – dreams _are_ important – but you're right. At this point, there is a bigger purpose to our lives than simply follow our own dreams. Well said, Lily."

She gave him an uncertain sort of smile, before tapping his hand lightly. "See?" she said softly. "I _knew_ you'd agree with me… And I'm glad you do, it just goes to show that I'm not mental!"

He chuckled and pulled a mock-thoughtful expression. "Well, on that front –" he started to say, but she gave him a little smack on his hand. "Stop it," she said, laughing. There was a pause, following which she said, "I've missed this – we used to have fun, James… But then, you don't come jogging anymore, and I hardly see you these days." She lowered her gaze, staring resolutely at her hand which rested on top of his.

James sighed. "I've missed this too," he said, and the truth of that statement hit him as he spoke… It was true, they hadn't really talked much since school had restarted after the Christmas holidays. "What with our odd Patronuses – which means nothing, by the way, I checked in the library," he added, and she looked disbelieving and relieved at the same time; he grinned and said, "I _really_ did – doesn't mean anything." Her face relaxed, and he felt a little twinge of happiness… He didn't know why he was lying to her; of course, he had done no research on identical Patronuses, but he just wanted to put the recent awkwardness past them.

"But yeah," he continued, "I guess we've been a little busy with our own lives, dating different people and all…"

"How's it going with Olivia?" she asked. "I hope your Valentine's Day date went better than mine, but that really isn't saying much." The familiar dry tone was evident, and James gave her a placating sort of smile. It was time to tell her something that had been on his mind for quite some time now…

"Er – I wanted to talk to you about something, Lily," he began, "And I need you to promise me that you won't get angry." She raised her eyebrows but nodded, indicating for him to continue.

"I want you to give Ollie a chance," he said baldly. She opened her mouth to (presumably) argue, but he ploughed on quickly, "Look – she's trying really hard to be friends with you, and I'd appreciate it if you were _at least_ nice to her. I was nice to Adam, wasn't I? Then why can't you do the same?"

Lily frowned, and James could see that she was thinking hard; indeed, she appeared to choose her words carefully as she replied, "C'mon, James – it's not like that –"

"Really?" he said sceptically. "I mean, look – she's going out of her way to befriend you… She coughed up a few Sickles for that watch you're wearing –" he glanced at the watch in question, "—which is something she really, _really_ didn't have to do. She probably thinks the world of you, too – always credits you with helping her learn the Stunning Spell."

"I –" Lily started to say, but he interrupted her again. "Look, I have an inkling of your opinion of her. What I'm asking is – as my friend, I want you to please, _please_ give her the benefit of the doubt. Can't you do this for me? For your friend?" He gazed at her steadily, and she blushed and lowered her eyes. There was a silence, following which she said, "Fine. For you – I'll try to get to know her… Even be friends with her, maybe… But just for _you_." She gave him an intense sort of look, and he grinned at her. "That's _all_ I'm asking," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "Fine, then," she said nevertheless, "But like I said – only for you."

"I'm honoured," he said sarcastically, and Lily chuckled and slapped his arm lightly. "Feeling better?" he added, and she gave him a little smile. "Yeah," she said simply, and he grinned. "I'm glad," he said, standing up, "Now – let's go back to the common room… I think you should just go to bed, you'll be back to normal tomorrow."

Lily nodded and stood up, taking the box of cupcakes. "Yeah, maybe," she said, sounding doubtful, and James quickly put an arm around her shoulders. "Trust me – you will," he said reassuringly, "Sleep acts like a natural cure for everything – disease, injury, illness – and broken hearts, too, for that matter…" It was true, after all; James always felt refreshed after a good night's sleep. He despised taking potions for healing injuries or sickness, but with their full moon excursions and inevitable accidental scratches from Moony, he'd grudgingly begun to carry a bottle of dittany around with him ever since he'd become an Animagus.

"Oh, is that so?" Lily countered as they walked along the passage and back into the corridor where it originated. "You should tell that to the St Mungo's Healers – that they should tell all their patients to just sleep it off, that they'll be fine by morning." James grinned at that; he was relieved that she seemed to be regaining _some_ of her cheer, at least. "Fine," he conceded, "Maybe not for _all_ injuries and illnesses –"

"You should take a nap soon – might cure you of your idiocy –"

"Oh, ha ha – but last I checked, idiocy wasn't an illness, but something one can't help –"

"There, you said it yourself – you're a permanent idiot –"

"Hark who's talking! You're the one who was dating Wright –"

Lily suddenly stopped, and James regretted his words at once. _Too soon_ , the voice in his brain chided. "It was a joke," he said quickly, looking at her in a pleading sort of way, "I really _am_ an idiot… Please, don't be angry – it was just a joke –"

Then – something unexpected happened; Lily began to laugh. She laughed so hard that tears began to roll out of her eyes, and after a few seconds, James joined in – relieved that she hadn't taken offence to his comment, and happy with how light-heartedly she was guffawing. It was looking like she'd put the whole Wright debacle behind her quite soon…

Lily's laughter subsided at last, and she said, "Well, that one was funny – 'coz it's _true!_ God, I feel like such a fool!"

"It's no problem to feel what you really are," James deadpanned, and immediately received a punch from her. He stepped backwards, laughing, as Lily said, "Ironic that it's coming from _you_ , of all people – don't you remember your behaviour last year?"

James sobered up at once, and Lily gave him an impish grin that was quite unlike her usual smile; rather, it was a lopsided sort of smirk, the kind he'd seen several times on Sirius's face. "All too well," he said, a little regretfully, "But I'm not that person anymore… At least, I'm not that much of an a –"

"I know," she interrupted, and patted his arm lightly. "I know," she said again, and with a nod of her head, began to walk back towards their common room. Shaking his head slightly, he followed her, deep in thought…

 _She split up with Adam_ , he thought. _She's single again… Where does that leave me?_

 _You know very well where that leaves you_ , the annoying voice in his head said. _It doesn't matter that she's single – not like you're going to drop Ollie like a hot potato, are you?_

He paused. _No_ , he thought… _I have a good thing going with Ollie – makes no sense to mess that up, does it? I want to see where it goes – I think I genuinely like Ollie. And besides, what's the guarantee that Lily would say yes if I acted like a wanker and asked her out after splitting up with Ollie right at this moment?_

 _Exactly_ , said the voice in his brain. _For once, we agree on something…_

"James?" came Lily's voice, and he immediately shook himself from his internal battle. "Yeah?" he said, a little distractedly.

"Nothing – I was just – nah, forget it," she said, and continued walking.

"What?" James asked curiously, jogging a little to catch up with her.

"Er – well – here's the thing," she said, and there was a little blush on her face. "Er – I'm having problems with non-verbal Human Transfiguration, and I was, er, wondering if –"

"I'd help you out?" he said, and she nodded before looking away in slight embarrassment. He grinned; he knew how much she hated to admit that she wasn't very good at something, and he had an inkling of how much of an effort it would've taken her just to ask him for help.

"Of course," he said, and the relief on Lily's face was clearly visible. He rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, c'mon – you don't have to think twice to ask for a favour from me, we're friends, remember?"

"Yeah – but I know that you're busy," she replied, "You have Quidditch practice as well, aside from lessons –"

"Irrelevant," he interrupted, "If you need help, all you have to do is ask. Since you're my friend – you have the right to do that." He looked into her emerald-green eyes as he spoke, and was buoyed to see the happiness in them.

"Thanks, James," she said softly, "I didn't want to take liberties with you – and I assure you, I wouldn't be asking if it weren't terribly important –"

James made a dismissive noise and said, "Please – I'd do anything for you. I'd do anything for my friends, for that matter – like you all did for me at the end of last year…"

At that, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, before letting go and blinking rather rapidly in confusion. Before James could say a word, however, they came up to the Fat Lady, and Lily quickly gave the password; the portrait swung open to let them in, and he followed her into the common room.

"There you are," came a familiar voice, and Ollie walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before frowning slightly at Lily, though it was more in confusion than irritation. Lily's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously and said, "Oh – no, no, no, James and I were just talking, Ollie –"

Ollie's brow relaxed at once, and she gave Lily a dazzling smile. "Er – what?" Lily asked, clearly a little discomfited.

"Nothing – that's the first time _you've_ called me Ollie," said Ollie, and James's heart rose at once. It looked like Lily was going to be as good as her word, and he mentally thanked her for it. Lily smiled uncertainly and said, "Er, sorry, everyone else does, so I thought –"

"No, it's fine, you can call me that," Ollie interrupted, grinning, and Lily grinned back at her. "Well – 'Night," she said, and nodded to James before going off in the direction of the girls' dormitories. Ollie watched her retreating back before saying softly to James, "Is she OK?"

"She will be," said James reassuringly, believing it himself. "Anyway," he added, turning to her, "Stroll?" He indicated the portrait hole. Ollie grinned and said, "It's a little past curfew – so if we get caught, you're going to have to do my detention."

"Deal," said James, and Ollie gave him a little wink before allowing him to lead her out of the common room. James wondered where the rest of his friends were, before realising that most of them were now in relationships… _Well, one less_ , he thought, mentally grinning to himself. He'd never really liked Adam ever since the latter had unwittingly barged into one of his and Lily's daily jogging sessions… And while the bloke _was_ an excellent Keeper, James couldn't help but feel a little happy that he and Lily had split up. _A girl like Lily deserves better than a coward like him_ , he thought…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, we ready?" asked Sirius, a smile of anticipation on his face. James grinned and said, "Yes – ready when you are!"

"Me, too," said Peter, and they all looked at Remus, who shrugged. "I think we should go over it one more time," he said, and the other three let out identical sighs of exasperation.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Moony," said Sirius impatiently, "Don't be such a pain in the a –"

"I think it is important that we do," interrupted Remus stubbornly, "C'mon – just so that we know we haven't missed anything – and remember, there's still room for error, since this procedure is not in any library book… So, really, we're sort of shooting in the dark here –"

"Fine," James cut across him swiftly, "Fine – have it your way, Moony. Go ahead… Narrate the procedure, one last time."

Remus nodded and smirked slightly before saying, "Good – I'm glad we're being meticulous and thorough about this. Now, let's start…"

They were seated in the same room where James and Lily had brewed the Widerwille Potion, or the 'Widerwille Chamber' as Sirius had dubbed it. James knew that the Selective Locking Spell they'd all used on the door would make sure that they had privacy; however, the Spell wore off in twenty-four hours, which meant that it had to be performed by at least one of them every day. Back in their fourth year, James had come to that room every day to refresh the Spell, so that he and Lily could continue using that room… Nonetheless, it was a good thing that very few people knew of its existence.

"Right," said Remus, and James immediately focused his attention on him. "First, we mapped the castle… We were able to map the entire castle accurately, and that has been triple-checked."

"Yes," said Sirius, "Go on, Your Highness."

James and Peter chortled as Remus chose to ignore Sirius's comment. "Second, we have practised the Homunculus Spell… All of us can do it. Right, Wormtail?" he added to Peter, who nodded and said, "Yup – took me a while, but I got it. The parchment I was practising on – it showed my position with respect to the room I was in, so I know I got it… I dunno if it'll work for the entire castle, though." He sounded doubtful. "I could barely learn it for a room as it is!"

"It will, Pete," said James reassuringly. "The only important thing here is that all of us need to do it at the same time – so that its effects are maximised, see? It's a rule for the Spell to work – it'll only work if _all_ the people who made the map use it."

"Precisely what I was going to say," said Remus, grinning at James. "See? It's good that we're going over this, isn't it?"

"Sure, whatever you say, Moony," said James sardonically, and Remus shook his head before continuing, "Yes – and the final step: the Pittachius Spell… It'll label all the people on the map, so that they're visible as little ink dots."

James nodded purposefully; the Pittachius Spell had been a useful discovery of Remus's. "Hang on," he said as something occurred to him, "What if someone finds this map? We need to be able to wipe it blank –"

"We know how to do that, mate," interrupted Sirius, "Flitwick taught us the Charm to wipe a roll of parchment blank last month –"

"I know," said James earnestly, "But – I think it has to be a phrase, not a Charm, so that only the ones who _know_ how to wipe it blank can do so. Oh, and come to think of it, we should have a phrase for the parchment to activate the map, too…"

"That's a good point, Prongs," agreed Sirius. "In fact, I think it's more important than wiping it blank… So, how about we think of a sentence to unlock the map?" He rubbed his hands in enthusiasm.

"Er – even if we do have such a phrase, how do we set it for the map?" Peter asked, looking a little doubtful. At that, Remus smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry, Pete – it's just like setting the password for the common room, and I know how to do that 'coz a Prefect taught me."

"Wicked – does that mean you can change the password to the common room? Oh, that would be fun!" Sirius exclaimed eagerly. "Imagine – just the four of us, the only ones in the common room…"

"I can see why you aren't a Prefect," said Remus dryly. "You would've just abused your privileges…"

"I'm _glad_ I'm not," said Sirius fervently, "It would've taken the fun out of life!"

"I hate to interrupt," said James, clearly feeling that they'd digressed a little, "But now that we know _how_ to do it, shouldn't we actually – er, _do_ it?"

"As soon as we think of a phrase, mate," said Sirius. "Let's see – how about, ' _Show me the castle_?'"

"Nah, too obvious," said Remus. "Needs to be something obscure –"

"And needs to highlight the purpose of the map, too," said James, nodding. "Like – ' _We're the kings of cartography_?'"

Sirius snorted and said, "Pathetic, James – you can do better than that."

"I know," said James, grinning; even in his head, the words sounded stupid.

"I think I have it," said Peter, and they all turned to look at him. "Something like – ' _I swear I'm up to mischief_?'"

"That's good, that is," said Sirius, "I'll make it better – how about, ' _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_?'"

They all burst into laughter, and Remus said, "Yup – that's it, that's perfect. Good one, Peter!" Peter nodded, grinning, as Sirius elbowed Remus, who responded with a smack on the other boy's head. Sirius gave him a little push, and Remus retaliated by messing up Sirius's hair, causing him to yell, "Oh, you'll pay for that, Moony!"

"I have the perfect phrase for wiping the map clean," said James in a quelling sort of way, before the situation could escalate any further, "How about – ' _Mischief managed!_ '"

"That's – much better than your last attempt, James," said Sirius, and James grinned. Remus laughed and said, "Well, then – now that that's settled, let's get down to business." James nodded and produced the bit of parchment he'd been carrying carefully in his pocket, gazing at it proudly as he observed the carefully chalked-out Hogwarts castle.

"Ready?" said Remus, drawing his wand. They all followed suit, and Remus added, "On three, then… One – two – three!"

" _Homunculus!_ " they all shouted, and waited, with fervent anticipation… James felt a jolt of excitement as ink dots began to appear on the map; he counted at least twenty on their floor as he observed it eagerly. He found the chamber they were sitting in, and to his enormous relief and satisfaction, he saw what he'd been hoping to see… There were four dots there, right about where they were sitting.

"And now – the Pittachius Spell," said Remus, and they all raised their wands. "This is an easy spell – no practice," Remus added, "On three, then… One – two – three!"

"Pittachius!" they all yelled in unison, and the effect was immediate. The four dots, hitherto unlabelled, were now labelled as 'James Potter', 'Sirius Black', 'Peter Pettigrew' and 'Remus Lupin'. They had done it.

"Yeah! It works!" Sirius yelled jubilantly, and exchanged overhead claps with the others. James performed a little jig in celebration, much to the amusement of his friends… "Hang on, we're not done yet," said Remus. "Come back here – we still need to configure the activating and blanking phrases into it!"

"Ahh, _you_ can do that, Moony," said James lazily, "Go ahead – we'll watch."

Remus shook his head but obeyed nonetheless; after about a minute of muttering something under his breath, he said, "There, that should do it. The map will only respond to the phrases I just added – anything else, it will just remain blank. Who wants to try it?"

"Me," said Sirius at once; he tapped the map once with his wand and said, " _Mischief managed!_ "

The result was as expected; the map went blank at once. James raised his wand with a triumphant smile and said, "All right! Now – reveal your secret!" He tapped the map smartly with his wand, but it resolutely stayed blank. "Excellent," said James appreciatively, "Now – let me activate it… _I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good._ " He tapped the parchment with his wand once again, and ink slowly spread across it until it showed the map once more, complete with ink dots for all people inside the castle.

"All right! Well done, Moony!" exclaimed James, clapping his friend's back. Remus grinned at him just as Peter said, "Hang on – let me try it, too." He went through the motions, and the parchment became blank and showed the map at his command. "OK – it works," he said, beaming as he handed the parchment back to James.

"Well – now that the map has passed the great Peter Pettigrew check –" said Sirius, and Peter stuck his tongue out at him, "—I think we should do one more thing. How about – we sign the map with our nicknames? Like Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail?"

"Why are you first?" James asked at once, and Sirius shrugged. "Alphabetically, mate," he said, giving James a little wink.

"I dunno what alphabet you follow, Padfoot," said Remus, scratching his chin with a mock-thoughtful expression, "But – 'M' comes before 'P' –"

"Dammit, I was hoping you wouldn't notice," said Sirius, and James grinned. "Maybe we can toss a coin," he suggested, drawing a Galleon from his pocket. "Right – first toss is between Moony and Padfoot – blank or number, call it!" He tossed the coin up, just as Sirius shouted, "Blank!"

The coin landed with its serial number up, and Remus said, "Ha! I win!"

"Bloody coin," cursed Sirius as he snatched it from James. "Right, then – James and Pete, one of you call it!" He tossed the coin as Peter called, "Blank!" – this time, the coin landed with its blank side up. "I guess I win too," said Peter happily. "Let's continue, then," said Sirius, tossing it between Remus and Peter this time.

Five minutes later, Remus had finished signing the map, which now read:

 _Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

 _Are proud to present_

 _THE MARAUDERS' MAP_

"Nicely done, Moony," said James admiringly. "I like the second line –"

"'Course you do, you asked me to put it there," said Remus with a roll of his eyes. James grinned. "You know that's right," he said happily, as Sirius and Peter guffawed. Remus shook his head and stood up.

"Right – well, I have to go for patrols now, so you three be good," he said, "And watch me on the map – when I come back, I'll narrate all the places I went to, and if you saw me go there, we know that the map works for sure!"

"OK," said James, "Say hi to Lily for me!"

Remus gave him an indulgent nod, and walked out of the room with a little wave to the rest of them. "Right, James," said Sirius, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What?" James asked curiously.

Sirius hesitated before saying, "Er – now that Wright and Evans aren't together anymore, what are you going to do? Are you going to wait for a while before chasing Evans once more?"

 _Wow, he dived right in_ , thought James. Aloud, he said, "Nah – why would you think that? I'm enjoying spending time with Ollie – and besides, I'm over Lily, anyway."

Sirius's face relaxed, but Peter looked unconvinced. " _Are_ you, though?" he asked James, who frowned.

"Yes," he said forcefully, and Peter shrank back slightly. "It's just – well, you were pretty upset when she started dating Wright, and that was only a few months ago, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to check," he said nevertheless.

"Don't worry, mate – I'm over her," repeated James reassuringly, even believing it for a second. The truth was, he hadn't really evaluated his feelings about Lily ever since she'd broken down crying in his arms, about a week ago. But he was quite content with Ollie, and he wasn't going to mess that up for some admittedly false hopes…

"All right, then," said Sirius, clapping him on the back. He turned to the map, and said, "OI, look – Remus has met Evans, and they're commencing their patrol. Blimey, this thing works! We actually did it!"

"Yeah," said James, smiling in satisfaction.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Peter asked gleefully. "No more scouting!"

"Hey, that's right!" Sirius exclaimed. "Great – I can't wait to use this for the next full moon… When is that, now?"

"In about ten days," said Peter, "I checked."

James just smiled as the other two began to plan next month's adventure. He could see that the Marauders' Map was going to be a very useful thing, indeed… About as useful as his Invisibility Cloak, definitely. _Oh, it's going to be fun_ , he thought cheerfully. He felt proud of their efforts in creating something so handy…

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 **Author's Note:** Well, this was a bit of an experiment, with a Lily POV scene inside a James POV chapter. Did you like it? Leave your answers in the reviews!


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, JainRidhi, Pratha, Tyler'sPrincess (Welcome back! 😊), ShashankRaj and Anna (I thought you'd forgotten about this story, 'coz I took so long with the last update!). Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thank you! I hope the description of making the Marauders' Map fitted well with your idea of it!

 **JainRidhi:** Haha, I'm glad it's over. I was putting in 10-12 hour days and working 6-8 hours over the weekend, too… Insane stuff! I'm glad you liked the Marauders' Map… Though, more on that later!

 **Pratha:** Haha, I know! Sometimes it gets really busy at work, and well, what can I say? Work first! And no, sorry – Lily and James can't come together until seventh year. Blame JKR for that – but until then, I'm going to put in as many J/L interactions as I can, without getting them together… I think that friendship is something worth exploring, too!

 **Tyler'sPrincess:** Hello – glad to have you back, reviewing this story! Of course, I am going to be having solitary POV chapters only… But in cases where one of the characters narrates an incident to another character, there is a different POV! The previous chapter was unique because – well, one POV character told the other one in their POV chapter, see? And yes, I wasn't going to give up on this story – not yet, anyway. You'll be happy to know that at this point, I plan to take it all the way to the end – but then again, we know how it ends.

 **ShashankRaj:** Thanks so much, mate! Yeah, as for British diction, Google has helped me a lot – but as a kid, I've read a lot of books by British authors, so I have a fair idea of some aspects of how the Brits speak! A little confession – I had Lily send James the Tintin comics solely for me to have more swearwords to use (I know, sneaky, right?) And yes, I know I take some time to write – and yes, you're right, it is proportional to the effort that goes into it. Cheers!

 **Anna:** Thanks, it's eased somewhat, haha! Still hectic, but under control for now. And yes – they're going to use the map quite often!

Hello everyone, here is chapter twelve. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twelve**

" **Maturity is –** _ **when**_ **to tell the truth."**

"So, all set?" James asked Ollie as they made their way towards the Quidditch pitch in their scarlet-and-gold robes. Ollie grinned and said, "You know it – we beat this lot, and we'll be in first place!" James grinned lopsidedly and said, "That's my girl!" He was satisfied to see a faint blush appear on Ollie's cheeks. She ruffled his hair and said, "You're pulling off the hairband splendidly, James – it looks really good!" James winked at her and said dryly, "Thanks, my girlfriend gave it to me." Ollie snorted and shook her head as they walked out into the mild sunshine and the familiar rumble of the crowd.

It was a cool, pleasant morning in early March; the sun was out, but wasn't quite doing a good job of warming things up. Nonetheless, James wasn't complaining; he was happy to have a sunny day after so many drab ones. He mentally went over the points table for the Quidditch Cup: Slytherin had bounced back after losing to Gryffindor, soundly trouncing Ravenclaw by three-hundred-and-twenty points to one-fifty, but Ravenclaw had also beaten Hufflepuff comprehensively in _their_ first game; this meant that if Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff today, they'd be favourites for the Cup, but if they lost, it would all depend on the last two matches of the season. _I'd rather not leave it to the last_ , James thought wryly as he lined up with the rest of the team in the centre of the pitch, facing their opponents for the day.

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Hooch, and James shook hands with Gavin Johnson, the new Hufflepuff Captain. James liked Gavin; he was pleasant, always nodding and smiling at people whenever he passed them in the corridors. "Good luck, Gavin," he said, and the Hufflepuff echoed him. They stepped back and waited for Madam Hooch to start the game; she stepped back from the crate containing all the balls and launched them into the air before blowing the whistle to start the game.

James kicked off from the ground and immediately grabbed the Quaffle; he passed it to Liz, who raced along the left. Over the Magical Megaphone, James could hear Dorcas Meadowes's perky voice, "Huntington – along the left flank with the Quaffle – ooh, Bludger, but Black intercepts it – now McKinnon's got the Quaffle, and she reverse-passes to Huntington, who SHOOTS – and SCORES! Ten-nil to the players in scarlet – and a nice one-two between Huntington and McKinnon!"

In the air, James exchanged overhead claps with Liz and Marlene; his involvement in the goal had been minimal, and he felt proud of the way the other two had linked up with each other. He couldn't bear missing out on the fun, though; he jumped right into the action, scoring five goals and assisting two others as Gryffindor raced to a lead of a hundred points to thirty within twenty minutes.

"Oh, that's a foul!" shouted Dorcas as Liz and one of the Hufflepuff Chasers elbowed each other. James quickly flew in to diffuse the situation as Liz furiously protested the decision, which resulted in Madam Hooch giving Hufflepuff a penalty. James and Marlene quickly led a livid Liz away from the referee, as Marlene attempted to calm her down; Quidditch was one of the few things that could wind Liz up.

"Johnson taking the penalty," shouted Dorcas as Gavin Johnson flew forward, "Shoots to the Keeper's left, but it's SAVED! Wright gets it right!"

James chuckled as the Gryffindors in the crowd cheered and applauded; regardless of his feelings of derision towards the Keeper, he was still a player of top quality, and he was glad that Adam's performance hadn't been affected due to his recent split with Lily. Practice had been awkward for about a week, with Adam trying to talk to her once everyone had gone – but after Lily had cold-shouldered him twice or thrice, he'd given up, reverting to his silent, introverted demeanour.

Within minutes, Gryffindor were leading one-hundred-and-eighty to fifty; Adam's goal-saving ability, coupled with the efficiency of Sirius and Ollie in breaking up Hufflepuff attacks, meant that goal-scoring opportunities remained scarce for the players in canary-yellow. Dodging a Bludger, James zoomed ahead with the Quaffle; now was the time to try out the new move he'd perfected over the last two practices… He quickly dodged Johnson as he transferred the Quaffle on to his right foot, and bounced it in the air once before kicking it hard towards the forty-feet hoop; the Hufflepuff Keeper, obviously caught off-guard, had no chance as the Quaffle sailed into the hoop and the crowd erupted with cheers.

"Incredible!" Dorcas Meadowes was shouting. "An audacious shot from James Potter takes the Gryffindor lead to one-forty points – the skipper's pulled off an absolute _blinder!_ "

James exchanged overhead claps with Liz and Marlene with a lopsided grin on his face, and Liz said to him as she passed, "Couldn't resist, could you?"

He winked at her, and she gave him a little grin as she sped away. Ten seconds later, Marlene was in possession, and James watched with bated breath as Ollie stretched full-length next to Marlene as she whacked a Bludger away towards one of the Hufflepuff Chasers. _My word_ , he thought with admiration as he put on a burst of pace to catch Marlene's pass… Ollie was excellent, and he felt proud of her for giving it everything in the match. He passed the Quaffle back to Marlene, who scored yet again, much to the joy of the Gryffindor supporters.

Liz scored twice more, and James and Marlene added a goal apiece as their lead crept past the one-fifty-point mark; even if Donnie Martin failed to catch the Snitch now, they wouldn't lose – which meant that they had one hand on the Cup already… But at that very moment, the crowd gave a collective 'oooh' as Dorcas yelled, "Oh, and look at the two Seekers – Robins leading against Martin, can he get there first? He CAN – and he HAS! Robins catches the Snitch – but thanks to their ruthlessly efficient Chasers, Gryffindor have won!"

The Gryffindor supporters cheered and clapped as James descended to the ground with the rest of the team; he was happy that they'd won, but he wasn't particularly pleased that Donnie Martin had failed to catch the Snitch yet again. _Really_ , thought James, plastering a smile on his face as he looked around at the rest of the team… _With all the training we do, he should be catching the Snitch within ten minutes!_ He saw Donnie's ashen face at that very moment, and decided not to say anything just then; there would be plenty of time to do that in next week's practice.

The party in the common room that followed was massive. Peter volunteered to go to Hogsmeade this time; he used their new map, and returned with several bags full of food and sweets, as well as an assurance that the map was indeed working perfectly, which pleased James very much. Music blared from the wireless, and two eager fourth-years (who told James that they knew the way to the kitchens) managed to procure a lot of food as well. _Well – good to know that other people can carry on in our footsteps_ , he thought contentedly as he munched some delicious chicken sandwiches…

Lily had given him a hug after the match, telling him that she was proud of him and the team before going off to congratulate Liz and Marlene. James knew that she felt a good amount of camaraderie with the team (though he doubted if that applied to Adam Wright any longer), and he definitely appreciated it. Plus, it was good to see that Lily congratulate Ollie too for her display that morning… He was glad that she was being nice to his girlfriend for his sake. _I don't miss the days when we_ weren't _friends_ , he thought wryly.

A song with an upbeat tune came onto the wireless just then; prompted by the team, James led a giggling Ollie to dance, and Sirius followed suit with Liz. Egged on by the crowd, James kissed his girlfriend gently to several whistles and catcalling… He withdrew from the kiss with a slightly dazed smile, and his eyes ended up meeting Lily's. She had a normal enough grin on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes, which betrayed an emotion he'd seen only once or twice before; it was the same emotion he'd seen in her eyes when she'd talked about her split with Adam.

Pain.

But why? Was it because she wasn't going out with Adam anymore, while his own relationship with Ollie was still going strong? Or was it something else that he didn't know? With a slightly embarrassed smile at her, he debated whether to go and ask her about it, but the next upbeat song resulted in yet another dance with Ollie which put Lily out of his mind.

Night soon fell, and a peeved-looking Professor McGonagall turned up in the common room at ten o'clock to get everyone to go to bed; she was promptly pulled into a dance by Sirius to the 'Ten o'clock Special' on the wireless, and the entire common room laughed and clapped as Sirius kissed an embarrassed-looking Professor McGonagall's hand after the song ended before exchanging overhead claps with James and Peter. The teacher wasn't amused, and she proceeded to award him a detention; however, at the protests of the other students, she relented and rescinded it under the condition that everyone go to bed immediately. The entire House obeyed, and James stayed with the Prefects to clean up after the party. Once they were done, he kissed Ollie goodnight, and went off to his dormitory… He had no intention to sleep, however – for it was a full moon night.

At midnight, three boys sneaked out of the castle and into the grounds under James's Invisibility Cloak. The map made sure that they had no unpleasant surprises as they walked through the castle, and they promptly made their way through the passage under the Whomping Willow towards the Shrieking Shack. Once inside the Shack, James transformed into the maroon stag with a slight feeling of trepidation; at Sirius's insistence, they had finally decided to wander inside Hogsmeade that night. It was not something James was particularly inclined to do, but the thrill of adventure had beaten the logical course of caution, and he'd eventually consented to go for it…

Moony growled restlessly as they approached, and James was sure that it was because they were late. They ventured out of the Shack and quickly made their way towards the Forbidden Forest. Going along their pre-decided path, they managed to reach the Hogsmeade edge of the Forest in record time, before coming to a halt.

The stag rumbled gently as the big black dog eagerly sniffed the werewolf's legs before yapping in the direction of the village. Moony took in a deep sniff; James observed him intently, but the fur on the back of Moony's neck remained unchanged – that satisfied him, for it meant that Moony hadn't smelled anything odd.

The dog playfully nipped the werewolf's tufted tail, and bounded away towards the village. Moony set off in hot pursuit, and James followed closely with Wormtail sitting primly on his shoulder. Moony ran Padfoot down near the entrance of the Three Broomsticks, and James prayed that they would remain silent – he was already starting to regret this plan, and he didn't want to be spotted by the curious residents of Hogsmeade. _Maybe we should've Disillusioned ourselves_ , he thought… _We can find each other by smell…_ But he quickly dismissed that notion. _The only thing more dangerous than a werewolf running around in a village full of people is a_ Disillusioned _werewolf_ , he thought wryly.

In the middle of their game, Moony suddenly stopped. James froze as he noticed the fur on the back of Moony's neck stand up; the werewolf was sniffing the air eagerly, and there was a low growl coming from his throat. Wormtail let out a nervous squeak as Moony abandoned them and bounded away towards one of the side streets –

Frightened, terrified, James set off behind him, with Padfoot about half a pace ahead of him. He could sense that they were gaining on the werewolf as he entered the alleyway, growling louder and louder – and once James had followed Moony, he could see why. There was a man – what was someone doing out here at this time of the night? _Not important_ , he thought fearfully as Moony closed in on the man, who turned around, his face white with terror.

 _No!_ thought James as he put on a huge burst of speed, but Padfoot was quicker – the dog leapt high into the air and tackled the werewolf from behind by landing heavily onto its back. His stride broken, Moony stumbled, and James took the opportunity to shepherd him away with his antlers… They had to keep him away from the man, for in that moment, Moony wasn't Remus – he was a beast, an uncontrollable beast who was undoubtedly driven by bloodlust.

James heard a thud as they half-pushed, half-dragged Moony out of the alleyway, and looked behind – the man had fainted. _Oh, no_ , he thought. He was going to have to go back and check on Moony's would-be victim… They got the struggling werewolf outside the village and back to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. With a low rumble, James turned around and bounded away, back towards Hogsmeade and into the alleyway where Moony had nearly bitten – no, he couldn't think about that right now.

He quickly transformed back into himself and jogged over to where the man still lay. The man gave a low moan as James knelt down next to him; his face was still pale, and his breathing was ragged. Up close, James smelled alcohol, and saw a dark stain on the front of the man's robes. He shook his head… _Poor fellow, he's had a rough night_ , he thought sympathetically.

"Are you OK?" he asked the man, who blinked blearily. "Yes," he gasped, "What happened? The last thing I remember is a pair of yellow eyes –"

"You were dreaming," said James wildly, trying to cover up. "I saw that you were lying on the ground, and I came to check on you –"

"I definitely wasn't dreaming," said the man weakly, taking James's arm as he rose to his feet; his voice carried a note of indignation. "I'm telling you – there's a beast or something on the loose, I'm not sure what it was –"

James pulled out his wand. "I'm sorry about this, sir," he said contritely. " _Obliviate!_ "

The man's eyes immediately went out of focus. James held his breath; this was the first time he'd ever attempted a Memory Charm, and he wasn't sure if he'd done it properly… _I had no choice_ , he told himself regretfully. _I did what I had to do… I dunno if I did it right, though…_

"Who are _you?_ " said the man, his voice sounding heavy. "What are we doing out here – at _this_ time of the night?"

James gave an inward sigh of relief; his Charm seemed to have worked. "I was taking you home," he said smoothly. "C'mon, now – where d'you live?"

"Right here," said the man, pointing to a house. "But who are you? Are you a student at Hogwarts?"

James sighed. "Not really – I'm Madam Rosmerta's cousin, I'm here for the weekend," he lied glibly. The man nodded in understanding, and James helped him over the front steps. At the door, however, the man paused. "Blimey," he said, his brow furrowed, "I seem to have wet meself!"

"Nah – you just spilt some Firewhiskey there, that's all," James replied promptly. "Madam Rosmerta asked me to take you home…" The man nodded vaguely at the explanation, and James wondered where all these fibs were coming from. _Perfect time to find out that I'm a good liar_ , he thought wryly.

Just then, a low, mournful howl pierced the night. "Quick – get in," ordered James, praying that Sirius and Peter were still keeping Remus entertained; it would be disastrous if Remus appeared again… Luckily, the man obeyed, and closed the door with a disoriented 'thanks'. Sighing, James walked back to the entrance of the alleyway – and froze in his tracks.

Moony was standing about twenty feet away from him, his eyes yellow and his teeth bared. He seemed to have given Sirius the slip – time seemed to stand still as Moony growled ferociously and bounded towards him, no doubt driven mad by the smell of James's blood…

James closed his eyes and concentrated, trying not to give in to the terror he was feeling… The Animagus transformation required a great amount of focus, and James struggled to attain it as he heard Moony bound closer – he could sense that the werewolf was only a few feet away –

And then, he was on all fours. He opened his eyes as Moony suddenly came to a halt, standing in front of James and giving him a suspicious sort of look. He howled softly and mournfully, and James waited, unsure of what to do. He prepared himself – if Moony attacked him, he had to be able to defend himself. But the werewolf made no move, and just stared at James, who held his yellow gaze.

Padfoot bounded into sight just then, and gave a series of terrified barks. Wormtail jumped off Padfoot's back, and quickly climbed on to Moony's shoulder, squeaking for all he was worth… _Well done, Pete_ , thought James appreciatively as Moony's attention went to the little rat. _You distracted him… Now, we can get him back!_

For the second time that night, the stag and the dog shepherded the werewolf away from the village, and back into the Forest. Padfoot stopped momentarily as they came up to the clearing where they usually spent their full moon nights, but James rumbled resolutely and kept them moving forward… He'd had enough adventures for one night, and he didn't want to have any more.

They spent the rest of the night in the passage below the Whomping Willow, before heading towards the Shrieking Shack just as dawn broke. They left Remus inside the house, and he growled mournfully as they began to make their way back up the tunnel… But then, he always did that. It was always the most difficult part of the night, and James sighed as he transformed back into himself before wearily dragging himself out of the tunnel, picking up his Invisibility Cloak in the process… He hated leaving Remus like that, but they had no other option. They _had_ to make it back into the castle before anyone discovered their disappearance…

Sirius and Peter transformed back into themselves, and Sirius wordlessly pointed to the Quidditch pitch. James nodded, and followed his best friend as they entered the stands and sat down. There was at least a minute of silence before Sirius spoke.

"I'm sorry, Prongs," he said bleakly, and James saw the pain in his grey eyes. "I'm sorry, Wormy," he added to Peter, who was still looking shaken. "You were right, Prongs – it was a stupid idea to go to the village in the first place. But then – how was I to know that there would be someone blundering around in the dead of night?"

"I agree," said James, much to Sirius's surprise. "It was a stupid plan – but we could've gotten away with it, had it not been for that drunkard…" He briefly narrated his interaction with the man. "And after I'd managed to get him inside, I was walking back out of the alley – and Moony was _right there_." He gave Sirius a severe look. "What the _hell_ , Padfoot? You were supposed to be watching him!"

"I know – I know!" said Sirius, holding his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, mate – I tried to keep him distracted, but he kept struggling – Wormtail tried to help, he even bit Moony's shoulder, but Moony was still a little mad. Then he kicked me aside –" he raised his t-shirt, and James saw an angry red bruise on his stomach, "—and just ran away. Of course, Worm and I followed, but we were too far…"

"Lucky I didn't lose my head," said James, letting out a huge sigh as the magnitude of what had happened finally hit him, "Otherwise, you'd have spent your full moons with two werewolves instead of one… On the bright side, though, Moony would've at least had a friend."

Peter laughed nervously, and the corners of Sirius's mouths twitched. "Sorry," he said again, but James clapped him on the back. "Hey, no harm, no foul," he said reassuringly. "Besides – it may have been a stupid idea, but it surely was one hell of a night!"

"Aye, aye," said Sirius, and Peter nodded eagerly. "Aside from the part where Moony nearly attacked that drunkard and you, it was fun," he said, nodding to James, whose grin widened. "That's the spirit, Pete," he said, before standing up. Then he sobered up at once as he remembered something else. "Blimey – Moony is going to be difficult," he said sombrely. "He's going to go off on us again – how could we let him escape, how he nearly _killed_ someone – blah, blah, blah."

Sirius cursed. "Dammit – why do werewolves have to remember everything, eh?" he said, and James shook his head. "Dunno," he said, "But I hope he'll be OK – c'mon, we should get going… If we want to see Moony this afternoon, we should get a few hours of sleep at least."

"Thank God it's Sunday," said Peter as the three weary boys walked back towards the castle. "I'd have missed all my classes otherwise… I'm _knackered!_ "

They slept in for most of the morning before going down for a late lunch, following which they went to visit Remus in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey let them in at once, and Sirius immediately asked her how Remus was. "He's all right – not many scratches this time," she said softly and sympathetically. "But he's awfully quiet – and he seems disturbed. Perhaps he's just worried about his classes?"

"Maybe," said James equivocally. They arrived at Remus's bedside, and their friend looked up as they sat down; one look into his brown eyes told James that he remembered everything, and was feeling horrible about it.

"'Afternoon, Moony," said Sirius with unconvincing airiness. "How're you?"

"Terrible," replied Remus. "You idiots – you were supposed to keep a check on me!" He lowered his voice. "I nearly _attacked_ someone – and I nearly bit _James_ , too! That's it – no more adventures! God, this is horrible!"

James exchanged a glance with Peter and Sirius; he'd thought right, Moony _was_ going to be difficult. "But you didn't," Peter said quickly, smiling at Remus. "Look on the bright side, mate – you calmed down when it mattered – and when I climbed on your shoulder, you were just fine! You didn't attack anyone!"

"Yeah, and don't worry about the bloke in the alley, mate," said James reassuringly. "You merely gave him a dreadful fright – so much so that he pissed himself."

"What?" exclaimed Remus, Peter and Sirius together. "You kept that quiet!" Sirius added indignantly.

"I only just remembered," said James, quite truthfully. "When I got to him, he was all covered in piss… Moony's doing, wasn't it?"

Sirius and Peter burst into laughter, and James joined in immediately. He hoped that laughter would act as a cure for Remus's agitated state… And sure enough, Remus grinned uncertainly and asked, "He really did that? _Pissed_ himself?"

"Another two seconds and he'd have soiled himself, too," James replied, and Remus chuckled as Sirius and Peter continued to guffaw. Then the brown-haired boy's smile faded, and he looked away. "No more," he said, "Next month onward, no more adventures… You're not going to come to see me!"

"Poppycock," said Sirius at once. "Wild, rampaging hippogriffs can't stop us, mate – d'you think _you_ can?"

"I nearly _bit_ someone!" Remus whispered piteously.

"I _know_ – and it's _our_ fault, we're sorry, Moony," James said quickly. "Look – we promise to be more careful – we won't let this happen again…"

Remus looked uncertain, and Sirius said, "Look, Moony – you know you want us to visit as much as we want to. C'mon – just say it." He grinned and looked at Remus eagerly.

At last, to James's relief, the smile returned to Moony's face. "Fine," he conceded grudgingly, "You lot can visit me next month…"

"Thank you for your express permission," said Sirius mockingly, and Remus rolled his eyes as Peter and James laughed; James's heart felt considerably lighter… _Thank God Moony is OK_ , he thought. _It could've been so much worse…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So – what's the status, Moony? Any new headway on the Shield?" asked Sirius as the Marauders walked back from Herbology, a few days after their escapade in Hogsmeade. They'd studied Dittany today, and James was happy that he wouldn't have to work too hard for the homework essay on Dittany and its uses… He'd read about amply as he'd looked for substances that could be used on werewolf scratches.

Remus sighed and replied, "Unfortunately, no… Prongs and I, we've been at it for a month, and we still haven't found a Shield that can vaporise Spells that are cast at it. Either we need to dig deeper, or – that must be a Shield of someone's invention."

"Wait – you can _invent_ Spells?" Peter asked, his forehead wrinkled.

James snorted and said, "'Course, Pete – where did you think the Spells we're taught here came from, Antarctica?"

The others laughed, and Peter said, "OK, OK – I understand. But c'mon – if it's a Spell of someone's invention, we're not going to find it in a book."

"Yep," said James, a little despairingly. "We'll keep digging, though… Anyway, have you two morons made any progress on that piece of parchment?"

"Er – yeah, we've translated the Latin," said Peter, "Show them, Sirius…"

Sirius withdrew a piece of parchment from his pocket. "This isn't the original – just our notes," he said, clearly in answer to Remus's questioning glance. "Going by the translation from Latin, we know that it reads – 'Only by a true Gryffindor in English'… The other words aren't Latin, and we haven't yet found a language that contains them."

"Hang on," James said slowly, "'Only by a true Gryffindor' – that phrase rings a bell, somehow… But I'm not sure where I've read it –"

"Worm and I are sure that it's related to Godric Gryffindor," said Sirius promptly. "Accordingly, we've been scouring the library at times when no one will see us there –" he shuddered slightly, "—and so far, I can tell you that Godric Gryffindor's best-known artefact was his sword. Goblin-made, ruby-encrusted, and as close to indestructible that it can possibly get."

"Interesting – where is it now?" James asked eagerly. At that, Peter shook his head and said, "Not a clue – wherever it is, it's well hidden."

"So – we think the sword is key to solving that clue?" Remus asked, scratching his chin. "Hmm – it almost looks like the people who have been hiding out at the cave are looking for Gryffindor's sword!"

"Y'know, I think you've hit it – well done, Moony!" exclaimed James. "Now – all we have to figure out is _why_ – and _where_ the sword currently is!"

"Yes – once we know where it is, we can go to Dumbledore and tell him to keep it safe," said Sirius. "It doesn't make sense going to him now, not when we aren't even sure this note refers to the sword…"

"Hmm, fair point," said James, his excitement ebbing away slightly. They walked into the Great Hall for lunch, and spotted Lily and Liz, who had already begun to eat. An idea came to him, and he said, "Er – d'you lot think we involved the girls in this, too? A couple more brains may come in handy – and besides, Lily practically lives in the library." He chuckled at his own joke.

"I don't mind," said Sirius thoughtfully, "Maybe they can help!"

"Sure," said Remus, and Peter nodded his assent. "Excellent," said James approvingly as they joined the two girls in question at the Gryffindor table. "My – these days, there seem to be just the two of you," Sirius commented as he loaded chicken on his plate. Liz snorted and said with mock-jealousy, "Why – d'you want to be with Marlene? D'you miss her so much?"

"What? No!" Sirius said indignantly, as everyone laughed. "I merely wondered, that's all!"

"Marlene and Mary are having lunch with their respective boyfriends today," supplied Lily, with a sideways glance at the Ravenclaw table. James followed her gaze, and spied Marlene and Mary sitting with Paul Harper and Roger Hathaway, two Ravenclaw boys in their year. "Convenient – their boyfriends appear to be best friends, too," said James.

"It's not uncommon," said Peter, "I mean, could've happened here, too – Sirius and Liz, then you and –"

But he abruptly stopped talking at James's scorching glare. _Dammit_ , Pete, he thought furiously, _why d'you_ always _have to articulate what you're thinking? Don't you have any sense?_

Luckily, Remus came to the rescue; disregarding Peter's comment entirely, he addressed Lily (who was beetroot-red and carefully avoiding James's gaze), " _Anyway_ – we were wondering if you two might be able to help us with something…"

"Ooh, what?" Lily asked immediately, a bit too eagerly in James's opinion. Then again, he couldn't blame her – Peter had essentially blurted out the possibility of her being with him, James, at a time when he was dating another girl. Really, Peter could be unbelievably tactless sometimes…

Remus succinctly explained the cave, the shield, and the scroll of parchment to the girls over lunch. Once he was finished, Liz elbowed Sirius and said, "So – couldn't have told us earlier, eh? And is _that_ where you've been spending your time? The library?"

"Er – yeah," said Sirius, a little guiltily. "Yeah – sorry I didn't tell you, but we felt we were making progress… But now, we're stuck, by the looks of it. I mean, there are ways we could go forward, but it will help when we have a fresh set of eyes and ideas – especially you, Lily," he added, looking at her.

"Why me, _especially?_ " she asked curiously, and James snorted. "You're not forgetting who cracked my Mum's code last summer, are you?" he asked, and she went slightly pink. "Well – we _all_ figured it out," she said, but James shook his head. "If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have found my parents," he said firmly, and she gave him a gratified smile before nodding and eating the final morsel of her rice and stew.

"Right – that's settled, then," said Remus, "We can meet tonight in the common room – at eight o'clock, an hour before our patrol?" He glanced at Lily, who said, "Sure." Liz nodded in agreement, but Sirius and Peter looked uncertain. "Er – is it OK if Worm and I don't join you?" Sirius asked. "You see – Worm's lagging behind on Herbology as it is, and we just got loads of homework today – we were going to sit down tonight and catch up –"

"That's all right, you two should do that," said Remus, smiling kindly at Peter, who grinned back at him in relief. "I'll fill them in on your theories, then – James?" He gave James an inquiring sort of glance.

"Ooh, I dunno," said James regretfully, "You see – I'm going to have dinner with Ollie and her friends tonight, followed by pudding – so, I'm not sure _when_ I'll get back. I'll join you lot as soon as I do, though." He smiled reassuringly at Remus, who nodded back in acknowledgement.

"Ooh, meeting the friends, are we?" said Sirius, winking at him. "Careful, Prongs – be on your best behaviour tonight, 'coz this is the first stage before meeting the parents!"

"Ha ha," said James sarcastically, "Nah – nothing like that, she's just been wanting me to meet them for a while now… And I'm somewhat up to speed with my schoolwork, so I figured, why not tonight?"

"Well – I don't think they'll have an issue with you, anyway," said Liz, giving him an appraising sort of look. "You're James Potter – Quidditch Captain, one of the top students in the school… Even charming and handsome, I may add –"

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, and Liz laughed. "Of course, your hair isn't nearly as good as Sirius's," she deadpanned, and Sirius clutched his heart dramatically. "That's all?" he exclaimed, and Liz laughed again. "Yes," she said with a wicked twinkle in her sea-green eyes, and Sirius shook his head. "Unbelievable," he said with mock-hurt, "I nearly break my neck saving her, and this is what I have to hear –"

"Well – it _was_ James who used the Cushioning Charm," Lily said dryly, and everyone laughed. Sirius just made a face, but Liz put her arm around him and kissed him gently on the cheek before standing up. "All right – that's enough mocking my Blackie for the day," she said mock-threateningly, and Sirius immediately plastered a wide, toothy smile on his face before getting up, too.

"You started it," James pointed out, but Liz just stuck her tongue out at him before putting her hand through Sirius's and beginning to walk towards the Transfiguration classroom. James and the rest followed; however, Ollie came up to him just then, having arrived for lunch after her DADA class, and reminded him about dinner once more. Reassuring her that he'd see her and her friends at seven o'clock, he set off to his afternoon classes…

James had high hopes for dinner that night, but it was a total damp squib. Ollie's friends, Malcolm and Sandra, were dating, too – and in James's opinion, they were two of the most boring people he'd ever met. Malcolm was somewhat taciturn, and the only things he seemed to enjoy talking about were cats and History of Magic. Sandra was all right, but she appeared to be star-struck by James, not making eye contact for more than half a second, and replying to him only in quick, hurried sentences before blushing furiously. James was bored out of his mind within ten minutes, but out of politeness, he kept a smile on his face and strove to be as nice as he could possibly be. He managed to procure some delicious treacle tart from the kitchens after dinner, too, while the others waited at the Gryffindor table – those few minutes were a precious breather for him after an hour of painful boredom, and he took as long as he dared to return to the Great Hall. All in all, it was an evening he would have happily avoided; indeed, his thoughts frequently went to the pow-wow that Remus, Lily and Liz were currently having, and he wondered if they'd made any progress…

At long last, the torture ended; James and Ollie said goodbye to Sandra and Malcolm before going for a stroll around the castle. Ollie happily went on about how much she'd enjoyed the evening, and James wasn't surprised to learn that he'd made a good impression on her friends… _Liz is right – I_ am _charming_ , he thought smugly. He was, however, caught by surprise due to Ollie's next words.

"Next Hogsmeade weekend, we're going on a double date with them," she said cheerfully, "They asked when you'd gone to the kitchens – and I said, 'Sure, no problem!'" She looked at him eagerly.

"Hmm," he responded, mentally weighing whether he'd be able to endure an entire day of boredom… But unfortunately, she caught on to his lack of interest, prompting her to ask, "What is it? You don't seem too enthusiastic."

James sighed; he wasn't quite sure how to answer that question without hurting her feelings. With what he hoped was a winning smile, he said, "Er – I just like being alone with you… Do we really _have_ to double-date?"

"We double-dated with Sirius and Liz on the Valentine's Day weekend," she pointed out, and his heart sank; his argument was weakening. "I just think – we should go on a double date with _my_ friends, who happen to be dating, for once… C'mon, what's the big deal about that?"

There was no way out of this one; he was going to have to go with the truth. He came to a stop, and she imitated him. He looked deeply into her blue eyes and clasped her hand in his. "Please – don't be angry, OK?" he said softly, and she frowned. "Why would I be angry?" she asked, nonplussed.

"Er – I guess there's no easy way to say this," James replied. "It's just that – I got bored today, and I don't think I'm particularly inclined to go on a double date with them…"

He knew by the look in her eyes that she wasn't taking this well. "C'mon," he said earnestly, "Why don't we just skive off the stupid double date? That way, you and I can spend more time together." He gave her a little wink, hoping that it would work.

It didn't. "Well – they may be boring, James –" she began, sounding angry, "—but they're my friends. What's the problem? I made an effort to get to know your friends, didn't I? So, why can't you do the same for me?"

"Half of my friends are on the Quidditch team," James pointed out logically. "And besides, none of them are _boring_ –"

By the way her eyes narrowed, he realised that he'd said the wrong thing. "So?" she cut across him tersely, "The effort matters! I'm even trying to be friends with the girl you used to _chase_ for so long – d'you know how _hard_ that is?"

"I never asked you to –"

"I know that, James!" she exclaimed, her frown deeper than he'd ever seen it before; indeed, until that moment, he'd just imagined her to be incapable of frowning like that. "But I still did – 'coz she's your _friend_ , isn't she? And even when she seemed a bit weird with me – I stuck at it, didn't I? I only did it because I knew that it was important to you! So – once again, I ask, why _can't_ – you _do_ – the _same_ – for _me?_ "

He let her rant, not speaking until she was done. She had worked herself up into a rage; indeed, she was shaking, and her face was red. She was breathing heavily, and for the first time, he saw that her eyes were teary. He _had_ to calm her down…

"Look," he said gently, "If it's important to you, I'll do it… But – c'mon… I got _so_ bored –"

"They're my _friends!_ " she yelled, finally losing her temper. "And I don't care if you think they're boring, they're still my _friends!_ And they're cute together! So, mister – if you think you're going to be – _bored_ – then you can do as you please!" She took in a deep breath. "God, James – sometimes you can be so selfish and immature!"

She tossed her head, and began to march purposefully towards the common room, which was only a floor above where they were. "Ollie, wait!" James exclaimed, shocked; he hadn't expected her to fly off the handle like that; but she kept walking. "I'll see you later, James – don't you dare follow me!" she screamed without even turning around, and he froze in his tracks. Perhaps it would be more prudent to leave her alone, at least for a while…

He entered a classroom just a little way away from the common room, and sat at a desk, trying to gather his thoughts. Was it so wrong to call her friends boring? _I've always called it like it is_ , he thought, a little indignantly. _She doesn't expect me to sugarcoat things, does she? But if she thinks that I'm going to endure another_ minute _of endless cat-talk, she has another think coming… I'll just die of boredom!_

A set of footsteps broke into his thoughts, and the classroom door opened. "James?" came a familiar voice, and he looked up to find Lily standing just inside the room. She strode straight towards him and sat down next to him. "You all right?" she asked delicately.

"Fine," he grunted. "What're you doing here?"

"Well," she replied softly, "I was in the common room, and Remus was filling me and Liz in on some of your theories – when Ollie entered, but you didn't follow. Then I realised that her eyes were red, and she looked like she'd been crying – Liz and I even asked her if she was OK, but she just gave us a smile that was more like a grimace before storming off towards the dormitories. I figured that you'd quarrelled with her or something – so I just came to check on you…"

Her voice trailed off, and he gave her a small smile. "That was mighty grand of you," he said, and noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. "But I assure you, I'm fine –"

"You don't have to be so macho about it," she said, a little impatiently. "Girls aren't the only ones who have feelings, contrary to popular perception – so, if you want to talk about it, I'm right here." She gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

He sighed. "Fine," he said, "Here it is, then…" He briefly narrated the events of the evening, and she listened attentively and silently. "So, in conclusion," he said finally, "I agreed to go with them on a double date, but I made my feelings clear about it – and that pissed her off." He shook his head. "I mean, come on – I'm just being honest, aren't I?"

Lily gave him a little smile, and said, "I know you are – it's one of the qualities I've always admired about you. Your ability to say it like it is, and to be completely honest…"

"But…?" he prompted. "There's a 'but' at the end of their sentence, isn't there?"

At that, her smile widened. "You guessed right," she said, winking at him, " _But_ – sometimes, you need to choose between being honest, and hurting the other person's feelings. And – if you care about them enough, you can go with the latter – on things that are trivial."

He nodded silently, taking all this in. She continued with a mischievous smile, "Like, for instance – wouldn't it have hurt your feelings if I'd told you how stupid I think you look with that hairband?"

"Hey!" he said indignantly, and she laughed. "The point is, James," she said, "That I didn't tell you – because _you_ like it, don't you? And it's not something which has big repercussions, is it?"

"I suppose not," he replied, and she grinned at him. "See? _Now_ you're getting it," she said cheerfully.

"Is this your roundabout way of telling me that you care about me, Lily?" he asked with a crooked grin. At that, she rolled her eyes and said, "Idiot – you're my friend, aren't you? 'Course I care about you!"

"See? I told you I'd grow on you," said James triumphantly, and she shook her head. "Prat," she said, "And here I was thinking you'd _actually_ matured a bit!"

"I have!" he protested, and she laughed. "Tonight's events prove otherwise," she returned, an uncharacteristic twinkle in her eyes. He shook his head and said, "That's different – I was telling the truth!"

"I know," she said swiftly, "And that's what I meant. Maturity is – _when_ to tell the truth."

There was a pause as James digested this; he could see that she had a point. _Saying it was unnecessary_ , he thought, feeling a little pang of shame. Wouldn't he be just as annoyed if someone called Sirius or Remus or Peter boring? Of course he would…

"She said I was being selfish, though," he said at last, "I think that was uncalled for – don't you?"

Lily snorted and said, "I can imagine why it appeared that way to her – but for what it's worth, I don't think it was selfish –"

"Thank you!" he exclaimed happily.

"—just tactless, stupid and insensitive," she completed her sentence, giving him another mischievous smile.

"Ouch," he said resentfully, "You wound me!"

"That was _me_ being honest," she replied. "See? _I_ know when to be honest… But don't worry, you'll get there," she added encouragingly.

There was another pause, following which he said, "I have to apologise to her, don't I?"

"That's your decision… But – yes, you have to," she replied dryly. He shook his head and said, "I dunno – she's furious –"

" _Talk_ to her," said Lily, her voice gentle, as she rubbed his back comfortingly. "I'm sure it's going to be all right – disagreements happen… And most of the time, they can be resolved." She looked away, and James knew what she was thinking: she was probably wishing yet again that her differences with Adam Wright had been solvable.

"Hey – it's his loss," he said delicately, putting his arm around her. She gave him a wan smile and said, "Thank you…"

He stood up. "I'll apologise to her," he declared, "And I'll spend the entire day with her boring friends – if I have to. Maybe I'll prank them a little… That'll liven things up…"

"That's the spirit," she said wryly.

"Right," said James, "I'm going to the kitchens – I'll get some cake or pudding for her as a peace offering, and I'll talk to her… D'you want to come with?"

"Ooh, I have to go for my patrol with Remus in five minutes," she said, checking her watch and looking at him with a twinge of regret in her emerald-green eyes. "But you'll be fine… And if we run into you tonight, we won't give you a detention, since you have my permission to be out after curfew."

"Thanks, that means a lot," he said with a straight face, and she rolled her eyes. "Talk to her," she said again, "And let me know how it goes." She began to walk towards the door of the classroom.

"I will," said James. "Thanks, Lily!"

She turned around and grinned at him – but once again, it appeared to be forced. "Anytime," she said nonetheless, and with a little wave, she exited the classroom, presumably to find Remus.

 _She's right_ , thought James. _I_ should _apologise to Ollie…_ He walked out of the classroom purposefully, and made his way towards the kitchens in double-quick time, thanks to one of his shortcuts. He asked the house-elves if they had any sweets left over, and they promptly handed him a little box of treacle sponge pudding, one of his favourites. He thanked the house-elves, and with a cheery wave, began to walk back towards the common room, mentally going over his apology to Ollie.

He turned a corner on the fourth floor and stopped in his tracks; with a familiar rush of hatred, he recognized the hook-nosed profile of Severus Snape. At the exact same moment, Snape saw him, too – and whipped out his wand; James followed suit, and pointed it at him.

"What're you doing here, Snivellus?" he asked aggressively. Snape snorted and said, "That's hardly your business, Potter." James studied the greasy-haired boy; he was carrying a bag, and it seemed like he was returning to his common room after spending the evening in the library… _He may be an utterly despicable person, but he's certainly not stupid_ , he conceded grudgingly.

"It _is_ if you're up to anything shady, like your filthy, stinking friends," he retorted, raising his wand higher.

Snape laughed humourlessly. "Look at you, with your holier-than-thou attitude," he said mockingly, "You're a disgrace, Potter – you think you're better than everybody, but you're just a lazy, arrogant and conceited pile of Doxy droppings."

"Watch your mouth," snapped James, his temper rising. "You're every bit as evil as your bleeding friends, Snivelly – so, why don't you do the world a favour and jump off a cliff?"

Snape gave another mirthless laugh. "What's the matter, Potter?" he taunted, "Not feeling brave, are we – without your stupid, cowardly friends around you?"

"I don't need their help to teach your sorry backside a lesson," James shot back, setting down the box of pudding and raising his wand higher. Snape smirked. "Ooh, look at me, I'm James Potter, the best at everything I do!" he said disdainfully. "I make tall claims without having the guts to follow through – like teaching other people a lesson, apparently –"

"You keep talking, and I'll be doing much more than that," said James evenly. He felt rather proud of himself for keeping his temper in check for so long.

Snape narrowed his eyes, and his face suddenly became devoid of all mock-humour. "You may have wormed your way into Lily's life, Potter," he said softly, but there was no mistaking the anger in his voice. "But it won't be long before she sees you for the cowardly wanker that you really are."

"The way she saw _your_ true colours?" James retorted. Snape's face contorted, and he slashed his wand, but James was prepared; he quickly raised a Shield Charm, and the Hex rebounded towards his opponent, who ducked to avoid it, dropping his bag as he freed his arms.

"So, you want to play rough, huh?" Snape yelled aggressively, "Fine, then – _Stupefy!_ "

But James blocked the Stunner; taking aim, he thought, _Stupefy!_ He was pleased to see the Spell work non-verbally, but Snape blocked it. He twirled his wand, but James raised a Shield Charm once more; thinking quickly, he screamed, " _Tempestas!_ " The stormy gale put Snape off-balance, and he stumbled backwards.

"Still think you're so tough?" James shouted derisively, advancing on his opponent, but at that very moment, Snape regained his balance; making a slashing movement with his wand, he yelled, " _Sectumsempra!_ "

James stopped dead in his tracks as a searing pain shot across his chest. He looked down in horror and saw a dark red stain spreading on the front of his uniform… Snape had used a Spell James had no knowledge of, and he had no idea how to stop the blood that was flowing out of his body. He fell to his knees, coughing, as Snape stood over him, his wand still brandished.

"Dear me, not so strong now, are we?" he sneered as James desperately pressed his chest in an effort to get the blood to stop. "You're pathetic, Potter," continued Snape, "Too brazen, too impulsive, and you wear your heart on your sleeve. That'll be your undoing one day."

"What did you do to me?" James rasped, feeling the first pangs of fear. What in the world was that Spell?

"Something unpleasant," Snape said with relish, and proceeded to kick James hard on the nose. James fell backwards, and hit his head on the floor; he could feel his nose bleeding as he dazedly looked up at Snape. The latter raised his wand, a maniacal smile on his face.

Then, at that very moment, James heard footsteps. _Someone's coming!_ he thought with relief, and it was his last thought before his eyes closed and the world went black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's Note:** A cliffhanger after so long, I myself was starting to miss those! What punishment should Snape get for this? As bad as he doled out to Harry in HBP? Leave your answers in the reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, JainRidhi, Tyler'sPrincess, KJ, Anna and Pratha. Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too, and I hope you find the resolution of the cliffhanger satisfactory!

 **JainRidhi:** Thanks! The mystery is building up, it will unravel soon!

 **Tyler'sPrincess:** Yep – I realised we're seeing less of Snape thanks to the James POV chapters, so I put him in there. And yeah, James is a little too blunt – so, I'm glad you caught on to Lily taming his tongue a little bit!

 **KJ:** Here you go! Have fun!

 **Anna:** Haha, good to know! Yeah, I prefer to take more time and deliver a better product than to rush through it but compromise on quality. Some things of work life do apply here, don't they?

 **Pratha:** Thanks! I hope you like the resolution of the cliffhanger!

Hello everyone, here is chapter thirteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Thirteen**

" **And it's when times are tough, that we really,** _ **really**_ **need you – to rally behind us."**

James opened his eyes, but everything was blurred and dim; someone had clearly removed his glasses, and he looked around until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could faintly make out the outline of a bed next to his own, and understood: he was probably in the Hospital Wing. He gave his body a little shake and immediately wished he hadn't; pain shot across his chest immediately, and he couldn't suppress a moan. He remained still until the pain subsided, taking in deep breaths and trying to remember the last thing he could before he'd fainted… With a flash, it all came back to him; Snivellus, using a Spell he'd never heard of, on _him_ – blood gushing out of cuts on his chest – Snivellus kicking him on the nose, and on the verge of doing something much worse –

A little sigh escaped James. He vaguely recalled someone's footsteps as he'd lost consciousness – which meant that if they hadn't come when they had, he'd have been in much worse shape than this. He felt a hot, boiling surge of anger. _Snivellus – you'd better watch out_ , he thought savagely. _Once I'm through with you, you're going to wish you hadn't done this to me…_

A low, creaking noise made its way into his thoughts, and he instinctively glanced at the chair next to his bed, but it was empty. _Hmm, I must have imagined that_ , he thought. Feeling too weak to pour himself some water from the jug on the table next to his bed, he closed his eyes instead… Perhaps he'd feel better in the morning…

James returned to wakefulness just minutes later (or so it seemed to him), and looked around once more. The Hospital Wing was still dim, but he could just make out the first rays of daylight beyond the curtains at the window. He glanced at the chair next to his bedside once again, and was surprised to find someone sitting there. _Ollie_ , he thought with relief; he squinted his eyes, and the figure came into focus…

It was Lily.

 _What's she doing here?_ James thought in confusion. How long had she been sitting there? "Lil?" he rasped weakly, and she stirred before jerking awake. "James – Oh my God, James – how're you feeling?" she asked immediately, her voice heavy with worry.

"Terrible," he said softly. "Can you give me my glasses?"

"Sure thing," she said, and gently placed his glasses over his eyes. "Ah, better," he said weakly, as she came sharply into focus. He tried to sit up, and though she came closer to help, he shrugged her off and sat up by himself. "Water," he said softly, and Lily nodded and poured him a glass of water; taking it from her, he swallowed a couple of mouthfuls, feeling better immediately.

"What happened?" he asked Lily, whose emerald gaze betrayed several emotions: worry, fear and a little bit of relief, too… The moment he asked the question, however, she looked away. "We found you – Remus and myself, that is," she said softly, "Snape – he was standing over you, and you were bleeding from your chest." She looked back at him, and her eyes were full of tears. "Luckily, Remus remembered that you had a bottle of dittany in your pocket – and that stopped the bleeding at once. Snape scarpered, we took you to the Hospital Wing, and Madam Pomfrey gave you a Blood-Replenishing Potion – she said you'd feel better in the morning, after you'd had some breakfast."

"That sounds like a good idea," he said, and Lily smiled despite herself. "I'll let Madam Pomfrey know, then," she said, and made her way to the Matron's office. She returned in two minutes, and sat back down. "Your food will be here in a jiffy," she said with a grin, and he smiled back at her before closing his eyes and sighing once again.

"Does it hurt?" Lily asked, her voice gentle. She absently patted his shoulder.

"Little bit," he said, grimacing. "But not as much as before…"

"What Spell did he use on you?" she asked, and her voice carried a note of anger. James shrugged and said, "I dunno – I think the incantation was _Sectumsempra_ , or something…"

"Never heard of it," she said, shaking her head. "I dunno where he learnt it – but I reported him to Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore and Slughorn last night itself. I dunno what punishment they gave him, but it'll be nothing compared to what I'm going to do to him," she added savagely.

"You're going to have to get in queue," said James grimly. "Snivelly's in for it now –"

"I dunno what he was thinking, using a dangerous Spell like that," Lily continued as if she hadn't heard him. "All the same – I'm going to Hex him so badly that he –"

"Woah – easy there, Lily," said James, smiling slightly. "Satisfying as it is to hear you _raring_ to go after Snape –" he caught her eye, and she blushed slightly, "—I'd advise restraint. Don't worry – I'll take care of it, you don't have to fight my battles for me…"

"That's not – I'm not –" she said, discomfited; she went a little redder, and James interrupted her, saying, "Besides – a direct attack on him is not the way to retaliate. I was pretty inclined to do it a few hours ago, when I woke up feeling lousy – but now that I've had time to think about it, retribution will be more than just a Hex or Curse…"

"Are you going to hang him upside-down again?" Lily asked, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. "Because if you are, I promise I won't interrupt this time," she added dryly.

James laughed. "I'm not that person anymore," he said firmly. "And besides, there are other ways of humiliating him – without unnecessary violence."

"I'm listening," said Lily, leaning closer to him. He laughed and said, "Slow down – I haven't thought about it yet. My nose and chest seem to have healed well," he added, feeling the parts of his body in question, "Mostly – what I have is a case of bruised pride, I guess…"

"Ah, yes," said Lily, a mischievous smile on her face. "How did the great James Potter fall to Severus Snape in a duel?"

"Ha ha," said James sarcastically. "I've won my fair share of duels… I even defeated several of Jugson's goons single-handedly last year, and even Jugson, for Heaven's sake – with your help, of course," he added quickly. "After that – I figured that Snape wouldn't be much of a challenge, really… But I guess I underestimated him." He closed his eyes, a little ashamed. "You won't find me making _that_ mistake again…"

"Snape may be a lot of things – but he's no idiot," said Lily, shaking her head. "He's frightfully good at all his lessons – Defence and Potions in particular. I guess he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve – especially after hanging out with his bleeding Death Eater friends…"

James sniggered, and Lily looked him in confusion. "What?" she asked, and he said, "Nothing – hearing you swear or curse, it never gets old!"

"Funny," she said sarcastically. Then her face grew relieved as she said, "I'm just glad you're OK, that's all…"

"Hey – I'm fine," he said reassuringly, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently. "Thank you," he added, looking directly into her eyes, "If you and Moony hadn't arrived when you had, I dunno what may have happened…"

"Ssshhh, don't think about that now," she said, shuddering slightly. He nodded and asked instead, "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes before you woke up," she replied softly. "You see – Professor McGonagall shooed us – me and Remus, that is – away from the Hospital Wing. We went back to the common room and told the others what had happened, and I think Liz or Marlene went to tell Ollie, too – then we all went to bed, but I couldn't sleep – I was _so_ worried." She shuddered slightly once again. "Anyway – at around six o'clock, I came here – I couldn't bear it anymore, I had to see for myself how you were doing."

"Well – I'm OK now, and – ahh, just in time," said James, happily eyeing the breakfast tray that Madam Pomfrey was carrying. The Matron came to a halt in front of him and said, "Here you go, Potter." She placed the tray in front of him before performing a quick examination and saying, "You're all right – you can leave after breakfast, and you should be fine to attend your classes today. Perhaps someone can keep an eye on you in case you feel weak or tired – will you do it, Miss Evans?" she added, looking at Lily.

"Er – yeah, sure," Lily said, with a half-glance at James, who nodded. Madam Pomfrey gave them both a smile and a nod before going back to her office. Lily suddenly stood up.

"Well – I should get going now," she said with a slight smile. "Now that I know you're OK, and that you can attend today's lessons…"

"C'mon – at least wait until I'm finished!" protested James.

Lily chuckled and said, "Well, it's just that – looking at you eat has made me hungry, so I should go to the Great Hall for breakfast! I guess I've been spending too much time with you gluttons," she added, giggling.

James chortled. "Fine – can you at least ask Madam Pomfrey if I can skive off some classes?" he asked hopefully. "C'mon – just a couple of classes – maybe Potions and Defence."

Lily rolled her eyes and said, "You're fine – she said you're fine. Nothing doing – you're going to attend all your lessons today." She waggled her index finger at him a little threateningly.

"Hmm – I forgot _who_ I was talking to," James said, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him before giving him a little wave and exiting the Hospital Wing. James continued to eat his breakfast, and just as he was finishing, Ollie came bursting into the Hospital Wing, panting. She looked in near-tears, and James quickly assured her that he was all right. She immediately apologised for screaming at him the previous night, but James held up a hand; it had been his mistake, and he apologised to her instead, vowing to spend the next Hogsmeade weekend with her and her friends if she so wanted him to. It was worth it to see the way her face lit up…

James felt no ill-effects of Snape's terrible Spell for the rest of the day, and he felt a little twinge of satisfaction as he heard Snape's punishment: not only had he lost fifty points from Slytherin, but he'd been awarded with two weeks' worth of detention. The injuries James had suffered were almost worth it to see Snape look at him with loathing in his eyes as he basked over the attention Lily was giving him, checking on him every thirty minutes (she was taking her assigned duties very seriously, much to James's amusement). His other friends, after reassuring themselves that he was indeed all right, had taken to suggesting several elaborate (and increasingly ruthless) methods to get back at Snape, but James had urged restraint. He didn't want retribution in the form of Curses or Hexes, for he knew that Snape would expect it and therefore be on his guard; rather, he was racking his brain to make his retaliation as humiliating as possible for Snape.

Finally, as James sat eating dinner with the other Marauders, he hit upon an idea. "I know what to do," he said, "How about – making that bashi-bazouk's robes itchy, stinky and greasy – all at the same time? In fact – if we all hex him simultaneously, the cumulative effects of the Spells will insane!"

Sirius laughed and said, "I'm in, mate! What d'you suggest – we just wait until he shows up?"

"Yep," said James, "We can Disillusion ourselves – and when he arrives, we act!"

Peter and Remus laughed, too. "Right – you can do the Itching Charm, Pete," said Remus. "You handle the Stinking Charm, Sirius – and James, you're on greasy."

"What about you?" James asked at once, and Remus grinned. "I – will be using the Oblivious Charm," he said, "I read it in the library recently – it makes the target oblivious to what is going on around them. Specifically, Snape will be the only one who doesn't realise that he's wearing greasy robes that itch and stink at the same time!"

They all burst out laughing just as Liz and Lily walked up. "What? What's the joke?" Liz asked as she slid into a seat next to Sirius, who briefly explained what they were about to do. She laughed, and James glanced at Lily, who remained silent. "C'mon, Lily – he deserves it!" he said feelingly.

Much to his surprise, she grinned and said, "I know – but I was just thinking, why make his robes itch and stink – when you can make them transparent?"

There was a pause, following which Sirius said admiringly, "Woah – who knew that Evans could come up with an idea that trumps _ours?_ "

"She's a lot more cunning than she's given credit for," Liz said, laughing. Lily grinned smugly and said, "Remus – you can still do that Oblivious Charm, and I'll do the Transparency Charm… He won't know what hit him!"

"Wow, I'm impressed, Lily," said James appreciatively. "I mean, a Goody-Two-Shoes like –"

"You call me that again, and I'll hex _you_ instead," she cut across him mock-threateningly, and he grinned. "I just got out of the Hospital Wing," he pointed out, but she shook her head. "I don't care," she said, and he chuckled. "I just didn't think you'd –"

"Indulge in this sort of behaviour?" she completed his sentence, and he nodded. "I usually don't – but for what he did to you, he deserves to be punished," she said, shrugging. "If you like – consider it as me getting even with him for what he did to me last year."

There was another pause, following which Remus stood up. "Let's take our positions, then," he said with a grin, and Lily smirked devilishly before following him to the Great Hall door. A few seconds later, they vanished from view. "There – they're Disillusioned, now all we have to do is wait," said Liz, and they obeyed, waiting…

About five minutes later, they spied Snape walking into the Great Hall for dinner; within seconds, his robes appeared to vanish, and a greying pair of underpants came into view. "OI, Snivellus!" James called, "When was the last time you washed your underpants? I've seen pigs that are cleaner!"

The others laughed as several people from the Great Hall stopped their conversations to take a look at what was going on, no doubt distracted by James's yell. Within seconds, the entire Great Hall broke into laughter, much to the chagrin of Snape, who seemed unable to understand why people were laughing at him. It wasn't until Rosier walked up to him and said something quickly in his ears that he quickly dashed off, his face red with anger and humiliation. James and the others clutched each other, laughing helplessly – until Lily and Remus suddenly came into view, grinning from ear to ear.

"Nicely done," complimented James as they sat down to eat. "Honestly, I'm impressed – with you in particular, Lily," he continued, "Never thought I'd see the day when you'd have to give yourself detention for a prank like that."

"Well – being a Prefect – I say that I let myself off this time," Lily responded, smirking, and they laughed even harder. Ollie came up to the little group just then, and was immediately let in on the joke; she looked a little put out that she'd missed the sight, but ended up guffawing hard – a little _too_ hard in James's opinion, but he figured that she was a little miffed because it hadn't been _she_ who had exacted revenge on Snape – something he was sure she'd have done, based on her demeanour that morning.

 _I'm lucky I have friends like these_ , he thought as he went to bed that night. Indeed, a year ago, he wouldn't have imagined Lily being the one to Hex Snape on his, James's, behalf… He remembered the grim resolution in her eyes as she'd volunteered to do the deed. He also remembered how distressed and anxious she'd been that morning, and felt his heart rise… _She really, truly, cares about me_ , he thought contentedly. _I mean, she's my friend and all, but now I know that it goes both ways…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"C'mon – just tell me, what happened to her?" James asked urgently as he and Sirius hurried along a corridor in the dead of night. Sirius's mouth was set in a thin line, and his face was taut. "I dunno, mate… I just heard from Liz, and I went looking for you at once – all I know is at this very moment, Ollie is in the Hospital Wing, and I dunno why –"

"But c'mon – what else did she say?" James pressed again, his heart pounding. He'd seen Ollie that very evening; she'd just told him very proudly that she'd gotten a birthday present that would 'blow his mind', and everything was fine when she'd said goodnight to him before going to bed. He'd gone to the kitchens after that, feeling a sudden urge to have some treacle tart… He'd be turning seventeen in a few hours' time, and entering adulthood whilst eating one's favourite dessert was an appealing prospect. James wasn't stupid; he had an inkling that the others would be planning some sort of party for him, and he was going to play his part by staying out of their way. But this – _this_ was a bolt from the blue. What had happened to Ollie? Had she been attacked while planning the party?

"C'mon, hurry – let's take this shortcut, it's faster!" Sirius urged, and tapped his wand on a wall, which opened up at once. James followed him distractedly, trying to determine what would've happened to Ollie… "Hang on," he said as he looked around slowly, "We took the wrong shortcut! This one leads to –"

"The Widerwille chamber," said Sirius, and grinned as they came to a halt in front of the very familiar room. Sirius quickly opened the door, and before James had time to think, the torches lit up, and several voices yelled, "Surprise!"

"Happy birthday, James!" Ollie exclaimed as she stepped forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. Taken aback, James stared at her and said, "Ollie – you're OK!"

"Healthy as a hippogriff," she said, smirking. James glanced at Sirius, who said guiltily, "Well – look, we knew you'd have an idea that there was going to be a party tonight, so we thought that throwing you off the scent for a while would keep the surprise element intact. Didn't mean to worry you, mate," he added, a little anxiously.

"Nah, that's fine – and thanks, it worked!" said James cheerfully, relieved that no one was hurt, and happy that all his friends were here for his seventeenth birthday; the Marauders, the girls, and even Roger Hathaway and Paul Harper were present – Mary's and Marlene's boyfriends respectively. He glanced at Sirius, who said softly, "Sorry, mate – they asked me if they could bring their boyfriends, and I couldn't really say no –"

"It's fine, don't worry about it – the more, the merrier," James whispered back, and Sirius grinned in relief. "What're you two jabbering about?" Liz called curiously, and James smiled at her quickly. "Nothing – thanks so much, you lot!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "I won't say I wasn't expecting it, but it was a surprise nonetheless!"

"Hear, hear!" Sirius shouted enthusiastically, as everyone stepped forward to wish him a 'happy birthday' one by one. James received several satisfactory presents: a Gobstones set, a pair of Quidditch gloves, a traditional coming-of-age watch (from his parents), and a Broomstick Servicing Kit from Ollie (he ecstatically hugged her as a result; his old kit was in its last throes).

"Happy birthday, James!" said Lily, and gave him a perfunctory hug before giving him his present: it was a pair of football shoes. He grinned as she said, "You did pick up the game, and my cousin said that this was the best brand there was for football shoes! I had my parents send it –"

"They're great, thanks!" he said happily, and gave her a hug. "Right – let's get this party started!" Sirius shouted enthusiastically, and waved his wand; the wireless came on at once, with upbeat, drum-heavy music. Sirius took his position next to the table with food and drink, and began to fill little glasses of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey; James figured that Sirius had been to Hogsmeade earlier that day to get the drink that was banned at Hogwarts.

"Right – everyone, take a glass!" Sirius yelled happily. "And you too, Ollie," he added, and Ollie hesitated before obeying him. "A toast – for James Potter," Sirius announced, "Brilliant student, prodigious Quidditch player, willing partner-in-crime –" he winked at James, who smirked, "—but most importantly, the best friend a bloke can have!"

"Hear, hear!" everyone shouted again, and downed their little glasses in one shot (James noticed Lily hesitate, but Liz nudged her, and she sighed and put the glass to her lips). Touched by Sirius's words, James drank his own Firewhiskey, and dragged a giggling Ollie to dance; some of his friends followed suit, and began exuberant dances of their own. James understood that someone had probably placed Silencing Charms on the room, so that the party could go on uninterrupted.

An hour later, James joined Lily, Remus and Peter, who were roaring with laughter at some story Lily was narrating. "And then – and then – the rat just ran over her arm, but you should've heard her scream – I tell you, there would only be someone fifty miles away who didn't hear it!" Lily exclaimed, and guffawed loudly until tears rolled down her eyes.

"What did I miss?" James asked, sitting down. At that, Remus said, "Not much, mate – but it's fair to assume that Padfoot didn't tell us he was spiking the pumpkin juice with Firewhiskey!" He indicated Peter and Lily, who were still laughing hard. "Drunk Lily is fun," he added with a wry grin.

"How many of those has she had?" James asked, indicating the empty goblet next to her. Remus shrugged and said, "Dunno – four or five, maybe?"

"And Pete?" James asked, and Remus snorted. "Pete's a lightweight – he gets sloshed when he's two goblets down!" he said dismissively, and James noted that Remus seemed a little tipsy himself. "Right – go to Padfoot, Moony," he said decisively, "Maybe we should start winding down now – thank goodness tomorrow is a Sunday."

"You said it, mate," said Remus, "Where's Ollie?"

James grinned and said, "She got drunk on that first glass itself." He indicated towards Ollie's sleeping form on a chair in the corner, and Remus grinned. "Another lightweight," he said, and James grinned back at him. "C'mon, Moony – it was her first time, I don't think she could help it!" he said nonetheless.

"Right," said Remus, and stood up. He walked towards Sirius and Liz with remarkable steadiness, and James turned his attention back to Lily and Peter; his grin widened as he noted that Lily was still talking, but Peter was fast asleep, snoring louder than the Hogwarts Express.

"Lily," he said, interrupting her monologue, "You're drunk! Does that kind of behaviour suit a Prefect?"

"Shut – hic – up," said Lily, "It's time you lot know that I'm – hic – not as uptight as you – hic – make me out to be…"

James grinned and sat down next to her. "The pumpkin juice was spiked," he said, "Why didn't you stop drinking when you realized it tasted different?"

"I dunno," she said dazedly, "It just – hic – tasted so good! It filled my body up with heat and warmth – best I've felt since I split up from Adam!"

James sighed. "You're still not over him?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Not completely," she said shortly, "Sometimes, I – hic – wonder if I was – hic – too harsh… Maybe I should – hic – consider getting back together – hic – with him…"

"No," said James forcefully. "That Firewhiskey – it's clouding your judgement. You split up with him for a good reason – focus on that. You wouldn't have been happy with him."

"Yeah, you're – hic, right," she said softly, and rested her head on his shoulder. "See – that's why I need you… I can – hic – count on you – hic – to stop me from doing – hic – stupid things…" She sighed. "Of course, Liz is there – but these days Black competes with me – hic – for her attention… And you're with Ollie, too, so – hic – you and I hardly hang out together any more…"

"That can change," he said softly yet firmly. "Don't worry – I'll make time for you –"

"It's not an – hic – obligation," she whispered, and he snorted. "I know," he said simply. He understood where she was coming from; in a short time, he and Lily had grown to be good friends, and with Sirius dating Liz, he was sure that Lily was feeling a little lonely – _not that she'd ever say that, she's too nice,_ he thought firmly.

The party wound down swiftly; James and the rest bade goodbye to the to slightly-drunk Ravenclaws, and slowly made their way back to Gryffindor tower. With Sirius, Remus, Liz and Marlene being the only somewhat sober ones aside from James, they Disillusioned themselves and brought their sleeping or unsteady friends back to the common room without incident. But as James settled himself into bed that night, he couldn't help but wonder if his advice to Lily had been less for her own good and more out of selfishness…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The onset of spring coincided with the arrival of April, and James found that the sunnier skies were quite effective at lifting his spirits after reading about the doom and gloom plaguing Britain, thanks to Voldemort. He deliberately tried to detach himself from all of that, concentrating instead on his lessons and Quidditch; however, he spent more time in the library than usual – aside from researching methods to break the shield on the cave in the Forbidden Forest (he hadn't visited it since their last attempt to enter it), he read a lot about defensive and offensive spells, as well as analysing the ones most likely useful in combat. He practised diversionary tactics using Transfiguration, and became an expert at turning small objects into lions, wolves and bears… He figured that a distracted opponent would be easier to deal with, and as a result, mastered those spells to the point that he could cast them non-verbally.

James and Ollie went on their long-awaited double-date with Ollie's friends on the next Hogsmeade weekend, just before the Easter holidays. Although James was (quite predictably) bored out of his mind, he maintained a cool and happy-go-lucky demeanour for Ollie's sake, a fact which cheered his girlfriend up considerably; that made him realise that it was indeed worth it, and he mentally thanked Lily for her advice. Ollie departed for the Easter holidays following the Hogsmeade visit, but not before assuring him that she'd be sending him several toffee-filled eggs on Easter Day, a fact which made him happier than ever…

The Easter holidays rolled by very quickly that year. James was sure that visiting her parents would do Ollie a lot of good; she was getting increasingly jittery about her OWLs despite keeping her schoolwork well on track, and he was careful not to monopolize her time too much. With Sirius and Liz spending a lot of time together over the holidays, however, James hung out mostly with Peter, Remus – and Lily as well.

"So – you think our friends are being inconsiderate, too?" James joked as he and Lily walked back towards their common room one afternoon; the past two hours had been spent with him helping her with Human Transfiguration, and he'd been rather heartened to see her show a reasonable deal of improvement. She'd asked if he'd finished his Potions essay, too – he'd handed it to her for inspection, and within ten minutes, she'd suggested a few edits and improvements that he had to admit would improve the quality of his essay considerably. _Hmm – I need to learn Potions from her_ , he'd thought wryly…

Lily laughed and said, "You read my mind, James – I hardly see Liz very much these days, it's like she's surgically attached to Black!"

 _I know that_ , James thought with a slight smile. Lily had appeared to have no memory her drunken chatter, and he was keen to keep it that way… He didn't really want to upset her. "Surgically?" he asked instead, nonplussed.

Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Let me rephrase that – it's like she and Black are bound together with a Permanent Sticking Charm!"

James laughed and said, "See – _that_ made sense. What in the world is 'surgically'?"

"Well – it's a Muggle procedure for really serious illnesses or injuries – nah, forget it, it's too complicated to explain," she replied, shaking her head.

"It must be – otherwise, it would've found a mention in our Muggle Studies textbooks," said James, nodding. To his surprise, Lily snorted and said, "Oh, please – I've seen that textbook, it's horribly outdated! In fact – I was going to suggest to Dumbledore that a revamp of the curriculum is needed –"

"Anyway – I've been meaning to ask you," James cut across her before the conversation went out of hand; he wasn't in a mood to discuss academics after working hard on his lessons for the last couple of hours. "Did you make any progress on that piece of paper from the cave?"

At that, she grinned. "I think so," she said shortly, "And I'm sure that I'm on to something."

"Great – what is it?" James asked eagerly.

At that, Lily drew a scroll of parchment from her pocket. "Not the original, just a copy – in here, c'mon," she said, entering an empty classroom; James followed her, and they sat at a desk. She placed the scroll on the table.

"Now, look," she began, "Essentially, the last two Latin words – 'ab anglicus' – mean 'in English'. This means that the message is in English – and the only way to do that is to scramble all the letters and rearrange them into English words that make sense."

"I see," said James slowly; it certainly was an interesting angle, and he had to admit that neither he nor the other Marauders had considered it; instead, they'd spent weeks trying to determine the language from which to translate the non-Latin words. "So – what did you find?" he pressed.

Lily grinned, and withdrew another scroll of parchment from her pocket. "Now – _this_ is the message from Latin," she said, and he read 'only by a true Gryffindor' written at the top of the parchment. "Then – _this_ is what I got by scrambling all the letters and trying to rearrange them into English words," she added, and James glanced over the list of words she had: _Gryffindor, Godric, sword, valiant…_

"Wow – I'm impressed, Lily, this is excellent work!" he said admiringly, and she blushed slightly at the praise. "Nah, I merely built on what Black said – he was sure this message had something to do with Gryffindor's sword, see? So – I just looked for the word, and I found it… And by that same logic, I even found Godric." She smiled. "Liz can claim credit for 'valiant', though…"

"Well done – I knew it was a good idea to involve you both," said James, grinning at her; she blushed even more. "Now – go ahead, try to get the other words, too!" he added, and she nodded. "I will – but it's going to take a while," she said, and stood up. He imitated her, and they began to walk back to the common room…

 _Well_ , thought James… _That's why we need her – she can spot things which no one else can…_ He thought back to the time when his parents had been kidnapped, and how distraught he'd been – and how Lily had been the only one level-headed enough to deduce his mother's code. It was amazing how quickly she'd thought on her feet… That's _probably why she wants to be a researcher_ , he thought. _She likes solving problems – and what's more, she's awfully good at it…_

The summer term began with the expected increase in the intensity of lessons and spellwork. With Quidditch practice, homework, and the additional reading on breaching magical shields as well as useful defensive spells, James was finding his time with Ollie highly restricted, which was compounded by Ollie's OWLs drawing closer and closer. They studied together, and James was always around to give her a confidence boost whenever she needed it, taking her to the kitchens for a snack every time he thought she was overwhelmed with the amount of work she had to do; he had long since discovered that one's problems are better tackled on a full stomach rather than an empty one.

May arrived, bringing with it clearer, cloudless skies and warmer weather. Slytherin trounced Hufflepuff by two hundred and twenty points in the penultimate match of the Quidditch season, which meant that they'd taken the lead in the Cup standings; however, James knew that if Gryffindor won the final match of the season against Ravenclaw, they'd win the Cup outright. Of course, there was the added question of the margin they could afford to lose by whilst still winning the Cup…

"So, just to be clear – we win tomorrow, we win the Cup," he said firmly to the team after their final practice before the match. "And if we _do_ lose – we cannot lose by more than fifty points," he added, "'Coz if that happens – then Ravenclaw win the Cup on head-to-head… Although, come to think of it, there's also a scenario where we're tied with them or Slytherin or both, even –"

"Shut up, James," Sirius interrupted. "Look – we're going to win tomorrow, so isn't this discussion moot?"

James smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah – don't get cocky, mate. You still need to know all possible combinations –"

"Irrelevant if we win tomorrow!" Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Turning to Donnie Martin, he said, "You're going to catch the Snitch tomorrow – right, Donnie? If you do, I'll let you try Firewhiskey on our next Hogsmeade weekend."

"Really?" said Donnie eagerly. His eyes met James's, and he added quickly, "Regardless – consider it done."

James nodded at him, and the team began to disperse towards the changing rooms. "Just a moment – Liz, Marlene, hold on," he said, and the two girls in question stopped in their tracks and looked at him with identical expressions of confusion. "Right, listen – I don't care what Donnie says, I want us to put the match far beyond Ravenclaw's reach within fifteen minutes tomorrow," he said firmly. "Donnie's a little unreliable – but unfortunately, he's the best we have now. That being said – it's up to _us_ to play our best Quidditch, and win the match!" he added with conviction.

"We will," said Liz and Marlene together, and he nodded gravely back at them. The three of them set off towards the changing rooms, going over their game plan one more time… They just _had_ to win tomorrow. James wasn't going to have it any other way…

The common room was quiet that night. Several Gryffindors wished the team good luck for the next day; it seemed like the whole House was geared for a victory after the disappointment of last year. James played his usual game of Wizard's Chess – with Lily this time (he wanted to play with the exotic Indian Chess set that she owned), and it ended up being a thrilling contest before they mutually called it a draw, much to the disappointment of Ollie, Remus and Peter, who had been watching the game with great interest. Lily wished him and Ollie good luck before proceeding towards the dormitories, and by the time James chivvied the team to go to bed, he was feeling quite confident. He kissed Ollie goodnight before heading to his own dormitory, sure that they would win the match tomorrow…

James slept soundly, and had breakfast with a healthy appetite. His confidence seemed to rub off on his team, too – by the time they'd taken their positions on the Quidditch pitch at eleven o'clock, everyone was grinning in anticipation. He felt heartened at the cheers from the crowd; the Gryffindors were certainly vocal in their support, and he beamed as he saw a poster of a large Gryffindor lion which actually shot small flames from its mouth; he was sure that Mary and Lily were behind that piece of magic.

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Hooch, and James shook hands with Tommy Boot, the Ravenclaw Captain. "Right – take your positions," said the Flying teacher, releasing all the balls in the air, "On my whistle – three – two – one –"

She blew the whistle, and James kicked off from the ground, making his way to the Quaffle immediately. He passed to Marlene, who streaked down the centre, faking a pass to Liz before carrying on solo – he zoomed next to her, but she passed to Liz this time, and Liz scored, sending the Gryffindor supporters in a frenzy of delight.

"Huntington scores – Gryffindor lead, ten-zero!" came Dorcas Meadowes's voice. "The Eagles need to find an early foothold if they are to keep up with the Gryffindor Chasers…

"Not going to happen," said James, smiling to himself as he intercepted a pass between Boot and Claire Palmer and sped off towards the Ravenclaw goalposts; within seconds, the crowd cheered again as Gryffindor went twenty-zero up.

It was clear to James that Liz and Marlene had taken his words after practice yesterday deeply to heart; indeed, he was only a proud spectator at times when he saw them execute some of their best moves as they increased Gryffindor's lead steadily. However, at the other end, Adam Wright was having an off day; he missed a couple of straightforward saves, and on one occasion, flew in the completely wrong direction as Claire Palmer shot the Quaffle through the left hoop.

"Pay attention, Adam!" James yelled, fuming, as the Keeper took his position, red-faced with embarrassment. "C'mon – we need a win today, and we can't do it if you miss easy saves like that!"

"They're not as easy as they look!" Adam yelled back, sounding angry.

James snorted. "Madrid signed you, didn't they? How will it look if you let in such simple goals?" he said, a little mockingly; he was hoping that his jibe would spur Adam on to play better. It nearly worked, too, for Adam made some good saves after that, but Ravenclaw had found a foothold in the match, cutting Gryffindor's lead down to seventy points.

"Potter scores!" yelled Dorcas as James put the Quaffle past Fitzgerald yet again. "James Potter scores his seventh goal of the match – the score now reads one-sixty to eighty – oho, and just look at the two Seekers! Is this the moment?"

James watched, heart in mouth, as the Ravenclaw Seeker, Derek Chang, dodged a Bludger from Sirius and dived, his arm outstretched – Donnie was on his tail, but still a few yards away. James made a quick calculation in his head… _No – no!_ he thought desperately as he added the numbers; if Chang caught the Snitch now, it would all be over – they were only eighty points up, meaning that they'd lose the Cup if they lost this match. Luckily, Sirius and Ollie appeared to have come to the same conclusion; Sirius hit a Bludger at Chang, but the Seeker dodged it and stayed on course, but Ollie hit the second Bludger at Boot, who was in possession, forcing him to drop the Quaffle. Liz caught it and sped off towards the Ravenclaw goalposts –

"Here, Liz!" James called, zooming forward; he was in a better position to score as two Ravenclaw Chasers came forward to block Liz – but she was equal to the task. She threw the Quaffle high, and James caught it – out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glimmer of gold, and noticed that the figure in blue-and-bronze robes was closer to it than Donnie –

A Bludger came out of nowhere, and James swerved aside to dodge it, giving up his scoring position as a result. "Here, Marlene!" he yelled, and tried a long pass to her; he watched in wonder as Marlene met his pass not with her hand, but with her leg instead – she somersaulted in the air, met the Quaffle with her foot _whilst_ upside-down, and kicked it hard towards the goalposts. The Ravenclaw Keeper could only watch, gobsmacked, as the Quaffle sailed neatly into the right hoop; a second later, Madam Hooch blew the whistle, signalling the end of the match.

"Ravenclaw win!" Dorcas yelled, the ecstasy evident from her voice. "And seconds after McKinnon's absolute _blinder_ , Chang catches the Snitch – the Eagles have won it, two-thirty to one-seventy!" James cursed loudly before flying towards the Gryffindor goalposts, where the rest of his teammates was heading to as well. _Dammit – we lost by sixty points – that means we lost the Cup_ , he thought dejectedly, waiting for Dorcas to make the announcement for the winner…

"And as for the Quidditch Cup – hmm, things aren't as simple as they look!" Dorcas announced. "I have Professor Dumbledore with me now to double-check my calculations – please, bear with us!"

Up in the air, James joined the other Gryffindors in a huddle. Donnie Martin, having failed to catch the Snitch yet again, was ashen-faced; James spared him a few words of comfort before hugging Marlene and telling her that her goal was one of the best he'd ever seen. Below them, there was a buzz in the crowd; people were starting to wonder what the delay was. James began to make another quick mental calculation; ten seconds later, his eyes widened in astonishment. _Well – I'll be damned_ , he thought in wonder. _It isn't over yet!_

"And here's the verdict, folks – it's a _tie!_ " Dorcas shouted, sounding surprised and excited herself. "Yeah, you heard right – it's a tie between Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin! Same number of matches won, same point difference, same points scored – in other words, nothing separates these three teams! And Professor Dumbledore assures me that this last occurred when he was still a student here… Which means that we're going to see something that has happened only four times in Hogwarts' rich history – a three-way penalty shootout!"

James descended onto the pitch with his team, his excitement rising again. _We still have a chance to win the Cup_ , he thought determinedly… The Ravenclaw team joined the Gryffindors, and out of the corner of James's eye, he spotted Professor Slughorn waving his wand; in a few seconds, several broomsticks appeared in front of him, and he handed them off to Regulus Black, who sprinted off towards the changing rooms.

"We will begin the penalty shootout momentarily," said Madam Hooch, and James immediately focused on her, "The Slytherin team has gone to the changing rooms." He nodded; the Quidditch robes were kept in the changing rooms at all times, since it was convenient for teams to change into them during practice or the matches themselves. He stepped forward and congratulated Tommy Boot, who returned his sentiments and said that if Marlene hadn't scored when she had, Ravenclaw would've won the Cup outright. James merely smiled, feeling prouder of Marlene than he ever had…

At long last, the Slytherin team arrived at the centre of the pitch, with Ashley Bond in the forefront. The three Captains shook hands, and Madam Hooch briefly explained the rules of the shootout to them: each team would attempt to score three penalties against the other; the team scoring more goals would win the head-to-head shootout, and the team that won the most shootouts would go to the final round. In the event of a tie, the process would repeat until the two top teams emerged. They would then face off in a full penalty shootout, and the winner would win the Cup. The three Captains nodded in understanding, and Madam Hooch said, "Right – that's it. Now, since Gryffindor and Ravenclaw played their match today, they can start with the shootout. Gryffindor – you will go first."

"All right," said James, and the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws kicked off from the ground. "Right," said James to the team, "Now – we still have a chance to win the Cup, but – first things first. Liz, Marlene – the onus is on us three to score every penalty we can. And Adam –" he looked at his Keeper, "—I know that saving penalties is difficult, but you're going to play for one of the best Quidditch teams in Europe, and you got in by saving penalties, so we know how good you are. We need you now – more than ever." Adam gave him an imperious nod, and James accepted it as a sign of reassurance.

The crowd cheered loudly; Dorcas Meadowes had just finished explaining the rules of the shootout to them. "Right – and now, it's Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw for the first round of the shootout," she announced, "Keeper Fitzgerald has taken his position – and stepping up to take the first penalty is the Gryffindor Captain, James Potter. Potter's never missed a penalty in the past five years –"

 _That's right_ , thought James smugly, and at Madam Hooch's whistle, shot forward. He swerved from slightly and took careful aim; however, at the last moment, he put a spin on the Quaffle, and watched it sail through the centre hoop with satisfaction, completely out of Fitzgerald's reach.

"—and he doesn't miss one now!" Dorcas shouted. "One-zero to Gryffindor!"

James punched the air and returned to his position as Adam Wright zoomed past him to take his place as Keeper. Claire Palmer, who was taking the first penalty, flew forward as soon as Madam Hooch blew the whistle, and put it past Adam rather easily; James cursed as the Ravenclaws in the crowd cheered. "One-one!" Dorcas shouted happily.

Liz scored, but so did Boot. Marlene scored too, and Adam saved the last penalty, sending the Gryffindor supporters into a frenzy. "And Wright makes the save – Gryffindor win the round, three goals to two!" Dorcas said morosely.

The next round was Gryffindor versus Slytherin; James, Marlene and Liz scored all of their penalties, but so did the Slytherin Chasers, meaning that it was a deadlock; however, Gryffindor qualified to the final round of the shootout as a result, and the next round between Slytherin and Ravenclaw would decide their opponents. They waited on the sidelines as the Slytherin Keeper saved the first penalty; the Slytherins made no mistake with their own penalties, and qualified for the final round, much to the elation of their supporters.

 _So – it comes down to this_ , thought James wryly. _Beat Slytherin – and we win the Cup. Ah, well – we've beaten them once, we just have to do it again…_

"Good luck, Potter," said Ashley Bond as she shook hands with him before the shootout commenced. "You, too," he said shortly, giving her a slight nod before turning to Madam Hooch, who was watching them with approval. "Right – Gryffindor, you're going first," she said, and James nodded; flying back to his waiting team, he said, "Right – this shootout has five penalties, and I'm going to take two." He surveyed his Chasers and added, "Liz, Mar – who wants to take two as well?"

Liz and Marlene exchanged a look before Liz said, "Me." Marlene nodded and said, "In that case, can I go third?"

"Done," said James, nodding; the third penalty was the most crucial in the shootout, and he supposed that it was only fair if Marlene took that one if it was the only one she was going to take. _Scoring that third penalty is key_ , thought James. _If we're leading, it builds our lead… If we're trailing, it equalizes… And if we're trailing by two, missing that could mean it's all over – but that's not going to happen_ , he thought forcefully before zooming forward to take the Quaffle from Madam Hooch.

"First up – it's James Potter," announced Dorcas. The crowd whooped and cheered, but James ignored them as he steadily gazed at Rowle, the Slytherin Keeper. It was time to concentrate… He heard the whistle, and shot forward; he rightly guessed which way Rowle was going to go, and shot the Quaffle into the left hoop – he smiled as it sailed right through, and Dorcas announced, "He scores – he will _not_ be denied! One-zero to Gryffindor!"

James flew back to his team, and exchanged a nod with Adam, who passed him as he flew up to the hoops to take his position. Ashley Bond was going first, and she didn't miss either, levelling the score. Liz was next, and she scored too; however, so did Brenda Hastings, making it two-two. "Good luck, Marlene," James called as the brunette zoomed forward, her face set. She flew straight towards the Keeper, before going left at the last minute and shooting; however, the Quaffle missed by about two inches and hit the ring before Rowle gleefully caught the rebound.

"McKinnon misses!" shouted Dorcas, sounding astonished herself, as the Slytherins in the crowd jeered and booed. Next to James, Liz gasped, Adam frowned and looked away, and the rest of the team looked shocked; but James kept staring straight ahead, unable to believe it. Marlene was an excellent penalty-taker, so it was quite unimaginable that she'd missed… He immediately flew forward, and Liz followed; together, they guided a shell-shocked Marlene back to where the rest of the team was. "It's OK – it's not over yet," Liz whispered comfortingly to her, as Dorcas announced, "It's two-two – and the Slytherins have an advantage! Can they make it count?"

They did; Baines beat Adam, making it three-two in favour of Slytherin. Liz gave James and Marlene a confident smile before flying up to take the fourth penalty; she scored, but unfortunately, so did Brenda Hastings. _Dammit_ , Adam, James cursed inwardly… _Make the bloody save! You need to prove that you deserve to play for the Madrid Guerreros!_

Sighing, he flew up to take the fifth penalty. He beat Rowle once more, but didn't celebrate; Adam just _had_ to save the final penalty if they were to stand any chance of winning the Cup. He flew back to the team as Dorcas shouted, "Potter maintains his perfect record – and Gryffindor are still alive! No celebration from the Captain, though… It all hangs on to Adam Wright now!"

 _C'mon, Adam – save this, and you'll get the be the hero_ , James thought desperately. If Adam saved the penalty, Gryffindor and Slytherin would probably play a quick Golden Goal match for the Cup, and James was confident that Gryffindor would score a goal in open play before their opponents. That would mean that Adam would be the saviour, and he and Lily may even make up in the aftermath of his heroics – not that it was very likely, but it still wasn't a particularly appealing prospect to James… If Adam _failed_ to save the penalty, though, none of this would matter.

James watched Ashley Bond as she sailed forward, Quaffle in hand. She shot off as soon as Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and James waited with bated breath, praying that Adam would save it – but it was no use. He closed his eyes and bowed his head as the Quaffle sailed past Adam's outstretched hands and into the left hoop; there was one second of silence before the stadium erupted with cheers, and Dorcas Meadowes shouted, "Well – there you have it! After a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, Slytherin retain the Quidditch Cup!"

James turned to the rest of the team; Donnie looked shocked, Ollie's face was buried in her hands, and Sirius and Liz were comforting Marlene, who was sobbing uncontrollably. James squeezed Ollie's shoulder once and whispered, "Hang on – be right back." He flew straight to Ashley Bond, whose teammates had her engulfed in a tight, many-armed embrace. Three of the Slytherins made rude hand gestures at him as they spotted him; however, Ashley barked, "Enough, idiots – show some respect!" That caused them to back off immediately, and Ashley gave him a wry sort of smirk. "Told you we'd beat you," she said evenly, and James grinned despite himself. "Congratulations," he said simply, and held out his hand; Ashley gave him a genuine smile and said, "Thanks, Potter. We'll see what happens next year."

"Yep," he said, and flew back towards his distraught team, who had slowly made their descent to the ground. He figured it was his duty to congratulate the winning Captain – regardless of the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Of course, Ashley's sportsmanship had struck a chord with him right from their first match, and he was more than happy to respond in kind, however empty he was feeling on the inside…

"Hey – tough game, you lot," he said as he landed next to his team. Facing Adam directly, he added, "I know you did your best, Adam – so, no regrets." He held out his hand, and Adam shook it silently, looking a little relieved. "I'm sorry," he said nonetheless, but James waved the apology aside. Adam had failed to save a single penalty in the final shootout – but he'd tried hard, and that was what mattered…

Out of the corner of his eye, James noticed Lily, Remus and a few other Gryffindors join his dejected teammates, and his spirits rose slightly. _We still have our fans_ , he thought, feeling a smile come to his face after what felt like days… Slinging a comforting arm around a teary-eyed Ollie's shoulders, he led her gently to the changing rooms, and the rest of the team followed. _Next year_ , James thought determinedly… _Next year…_

The atmosphere in the common room was rather bleak as James sat with Ollie and the rest of the team in a corner, away from everyone else. The other Gryffindors were mostly sympathetic, but he spotted one or two people glowering at Marlene as they walked by… With a sinking feeling, he realised that Marlene had probably seen them, too, based on the way she hid her face behind her hands as Mary comforted her gently. He glanced at Adam, who was gazing outside the window… Lily was comforting Liz, and the fact that she wasn't sitting with Adam cheered James up very slightly…

"Waste," he heard someone whisper, and he spun around just in time to catch a seventh-year boy glower at Marlene (who had surfaced momentarily) before walking away. Marlene began to cry a fresh wave of tears, and James gritted his teeth. _That does it_ , he thought furiously, and stood up.

"Everyone – may I have your attention, please," he called out, and the hushed chatter in the common room seemed to die down at once. Satisfied that every eye was on him, he said, "Everyone – I know we lost the Cup very narrowly today, and I know that you all are upset. However – it isn't fair to blame anyone for today's defeat. For instance – some of you might find it easy to point fingers at Marlene –" he glowered at the seventh-year boy from earlier, and the latter looked away at once, "—but the one thing you're forgetting, is that if Marlene hadn't scored that fabulous, incredible, _extraordinary_ last-gasp goal against Ravenclaw, there wouldn't have been a penalty shootout in the first place."

The common room was very quiet. James ploughed on, "Marlene is amongst the best three Chasers in this House right now. Adam's the best Keeper, and Donnie is the best Seeker… The rest of the team, they're the best at their positions. And if anyone – _anyone_ –" he added forcefully, "—thinks they're better than _any_ person on the team – well, come to tryouts next year, and we'll see how good you really are."

He paused. "It's easy to sit back and blame someone when the team loses," he continued, "But – it's not easy to go out there, and play the best Quidditch one possibly can. We play for you all – you, who have always backed us. But – just as you celebrate with us when we win, we need you to commiserate with us when we lose. And it's when times are tough, that we really, _really_ need you – to rally behind us, so that we can get through this defeat together, and come back stronger than ever before."

There was silence after this announcement, following which a couple of fifth-years shouted, "Hear, hear!" James felt heartened as everyone in the room rose as one, and began to applaud them. Shouts of 'We're proud of you' and 'Next year is the Lions' year' rent the air, and several Gryffindors came up to them and gave them reassuring nods or shook hands with a few players before going back to their activities. Grinning, James sat down, and Ollie whispered in his ear, "Well done, James." She pecked him on the cheek, and he gently stroked her hair and glanced at Marlene, noting with satisfaction at the gratitude in her tear-filled, cobalt-blue eyes. But what made him even happier was Lily's beaming face, and he nodded to her with a wide smile.

 _Next year is our year_ , he thought firmly. _It's my last chance… And I'm sure as hell going to make it count!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks for the reviews, Tyler'sPrincess, Anna, JainRidhi and Pratha. Cheers!

 **Tyler'sPrincess:** Here you go, then! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Anna:** Haha, perfectly guessed! I follow a lot of sports, and I like to play sports whenever I get a chance. And yeah, that prank on Snape has been coming for a while from Lily… She's definitely not a straight arrow!

 **JainRidhi:** I know, I didn't want them to lose either! But can you guess why they lost this year? And yes, Lily may pull off a prank once in a while… She likes to have fun!

 **Pratha:** Thanks! Spoiler alert – the cave puzzle is solved in this chapter, so if you wanted a crack at it yourself, you may want to refrain from reading this chapter until you've solved it!

Hello everyone, here is chapter fourteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Fourteen**

" **People** _ **like**_ **being told that someone loves them."**

Summer was coming. Lily found her spirits to be generally buoyed by the sunnier skies, warmer weather and longer days; to her relief, even Marlene was recovering steadily after her penalty shootout disappointment, and she was glad for it. Lily had been impressed by James's steadfast support to the team after their heartbreaking loss; she knew that he was only doing his job as Captain, but she admired him for that all the same. Yes, James Potter was a straight-backed and proud Captain…

Lily wished she could spend a lot more time out in the sun, but she couldn't. The exams were almost upon them, and it was all she could do to keep up with her spellwork, homework and Prefect duties. They'd all had their Apparition tests in Hogsmeade a week after the Quidditch final, and everyone had passed with flying colours (Peter had _just_ made it by Apparating at the very edge of the circle they were supposed to be aiming for). Lily was relieved; it meant that her house didn't need to be connected to the Floo network anymore every time she wanted to visit one of her friends.

Lily had proceeded to make a timetable for herself and Liz, and the two of them were sticking to it quite seriously. Of course, Black joined their study sessions quite often, and Lily had learned at last to not be bothered by his constant presence as she third-wheeled her best friend and her boyfriend. Indeed, she didn't really mind Black – he was just as sharp-tongued as Liz, and Lily always laughed when he and Liz got into their usual banter – but she missed the time she spent with Liz, and wasn't quite sure how to deal with it; which was why, as the exams drew closer, she ended up studying with Remus quite often.

Wanting to master the Patronus Charm to perfection, Lily spent a lot of time on it, practising it alone whenever she found some free time. She rather liked her doe Patronus, but it reminded her of a certain stag Patronus every time she cast it – as well as the fact that hers wasn't the only doe Patronus amongst people she knew. This kind of thinking managed to distract her every time, and interfered with her ability to keep the Charm up for too long.

"You need to concentrate on your happy memory, Miss Evans," came a voice after Lily's Patronus vanished yet again, despite her best efforts. She turned around to find Professor Burke standing near the door of the empty classroom, her face set in its usual haughty expression. "Simply casting it isn't enough – you need to be able to keep it up, only then will it be useful," the teacher added, and Lily shook her head. "I know, Professor – but I just keep getting distracted," she replied, and the teacher snorted. "Not everyone has the ability to cast a Patronus," she said dismissively, "But – you are amongst the few who can, Miss Evans. C'mon – cup of tea, my office – we can discuss your technique."

Astonished with the invitation, Lily acquiesced, thinking that it would be rude to say no. She followed the teacher to her office (which was just behind the DADA classroom) silently, and sat down as Professor Burke made them some tea. She remembered with the pang the last time she'd been to this office to have a cup of tea; it was the kind-hearted Professor Walcott who had invited her then, and comforted her after her quarrel with Petunia. _Kind-hearted, what rubbish_ , Lily thought savagely… _Look at what she did…_

"So – what is distracting you?" Professor Burke asked her. Lily's eyes widened as she looked at the teacher's face; up close, the strain lines were rather evident, her eyes had shadows under them, and she was looking thinner than she had at the start-of-term banquet. _Hmm – that potion she's working on probably isn't going well_ , Lily thought…

Professor Burke was frowning at her inquiringly, and Lily quickly focused on her. She wondered if she should tell the Professor the truth – it seemed a little silly, really… However, she decided to be honest. "Er – my Patronus is a doe, Professor," she began, "And I know people whose Patronuses are – a stag, and a doe like mine. Every time I cast my Patronus, my mind goes to these people – and what their Patronus forms mean – and that distracts me." She bowed her head.

The teacher snorted. "Well – that can be easily remedied," she said, "For I'll explain to you what it means. You see – in both cases, it may mean some sort of connection between the two people who have identical Patronuses. The connection is quite vague – it may be any kind of relationship between two people, such as friendship, for example. Whatever it may be, though – there is definitely a connection."

"Oh," said Lily, looking away pensively… It definitely made sense; Severus and she had once been friends for years, which explained their identical Patronuses. But – did this mean that there was a connection between herself and James, as well? Based on their respective Patronuses, it was different from the connection she'd had with Severus, that much she was sure about…

Professor Burke discussed her technique for the next few minutes, following which she stood up. "Thank you for clearing that up, Professor," she said, and the teacher nodded imperiously – in a most familiar way. Lily frowned; where had she seen that nod before? The teacher said, "All right, Miss Evans – see you in class. I expect you to do better."

Lily nodded and walked out of her office, thinking… She'd had a somewhat friendly conversation with Professor Burke, and it surprised her. _I guess she's interested in teaching students after all_ , she thought, her spirits lifting. _She may be rude and condescending, but her life is under threat, and she'd naturally be stressed because of that… Plus, her research doesn't seem to be going to well, either. I wish I could help her…_

She stopped suddenly. An idea came to her… A quick Summoning Charm later, the little bottle of Felix Felicis which she'd won at the beginning of the year came zooming up to her. She broke the wax seal quickly; spotting an empty goblet on the teacher's table in the DADA classroom, she poured half of the potion into the goblet. She quickly found some parchment, and wrote, 'Thank you for your help, Professor. I wish you luck with your research… Use it well.' She exited the classroom, and used a Banishing Charm on the note so that it would find Professor Burke. She didn't stay to find out how the teacher would react, proceeding instead to practice the Patronus Charm with renewed vigour…

In the coming days, Lily noticed a slight change in Professor Burke's demeanour towards her; the teacher seemed less rude than before. Lily didn't really pay too much attention to it, though; she still had a lot of studying to do… She was feeling nervous about Transfiguration again, despite working with James, to good results. She had to admit that James really knew his stuff when it came to Transfiguration…

In between all her studying, however, Lily had still found the time to figure out what the gibberish on the parchment (that James and the others had found in the Forest) meant. Liz had helped her there, and together, the two girls had pieced together several more words. They'd found a couple of 'of's' and 'the's'; like Liz said, 'the' was the basis of the English language, and Lily agreed.

"So – you're still coming to Hogsmeade tomorrow, right?" Liz asked her one Friday evening in early June. "Trust me – it'll be a good break from all that studying, and it's still ten days before the exams."

Lily sighed. "Monday's isn't the exam I'm worried about," she said, "It's just Charms –"

"Speak for yourself, I'm still not getting the hang of non-verbal Summoning Charms," said Liz, shaking her head. "And yet – I'm going to Hogsmeade tomorrow…"

"You have a date with your boyfriend," Lily pointed out, and Liz grinned. "I know," she said, a little dreamily.

Lily rolled her eyes and said, "See – you have an ironclad reason to go. I, on the other hand, don't."

"You can have fun with James and the rest!" Liz exclaimed. "I'm sure James will be joining Remus and Peter – he was just telling me this morning that Ollie won't be coming to Hogsmeade…"

"Ahh, yes – her OWLs, right?" asked Lily, nodding, "When do they begin, this Monday?"

"Precisely," Liz said, "And though he offered to stay with her, she's the one who pushed him to go. She doesn't want him to miss out on a day of fun just because of her, he said… Bottom line, he'll be going to Hogsmeade tomorrow."

"Hmm – all right, I might consider it," said Lily thoughtfully. "I don't mind going anyway – Peter and I can play another game of Chess – but I wasn't sure if I _should_ go, considering that our exams start in ten days –"

"Oh, please – you're fine, you know that you're going to ace Charms," Liz said dismissively. Lily shook her head and said, "I dunno – I'm having some trouble with the Aguamenti Charm, it seems to fail about two times out of ten –"

"Aguamenti is easy," said Liz. "C'mon – show me what you're doing, and maybe I can help…"

"All right," said Lily, and obediently waved her wand, saying, "Aguamenti!"

A jet of pure water shot out of her wand. and hit the cupboard she'd been aiming at; Liz nodded approvingly and said, "Correct wand movements, as far as I can see… Keep doing it again and again, and I'll step in if something goes wrong."

"OK," said Lily, and repeated the Charm; she did well about seven times in succession, but the eighth time, a high-speed jet shot out of her wand and ended up drenching Liz instead of the cupboard. "Sorry!" Lily exclaimed (trying and failing to contain her laughter), but Liz just smiled and shook her head; she waved her wand, and the water dried off at once. "I saw what happened – your wand went too much to the right," Liz said, "And – when that happens, the force of the spell increases, but the accuracy is severely compromised. Concentrate on how far your wand goes to the right, OK?"

"Got it," said Lily, nodding in understanding. She carefully did as Liz instructed until she was able to cast the Spell twenty times in succession without going wrong even once. "I think I got it – thanks, Liz!" she exclaimed happily, and Liz grinned. "I'm going to savour this moment – it isn't every day you teach Charms to Lily Evans!" she said, smirking.

"Idiot," said Lily good-naturedly, and Liz gave her a little wink. Then a faraway look came to her eyes. "I – I have something to tell you, Lily," she said nervously, and Lily raised her eyebrows; Liz was rarely nervous – she was usually so sure of herself that it could be unsettling at times. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

Liz sat on her bed, and indicated for Lily to sit down, too. Lily obeyed, and looked inquiringly at her best friend. She noted that Liz wasn't making eye contact, and that a rosy blush was spreading across her face as she stared resolutely at a spot behind Lily's shoulder. "Well?" she prodded.

Liz looked directly at her at last, and said softly, "I – I think I'm falling in love with Sirius." The blush on her face grew even redder.

Lily stared at her in shock for a second, before saying, "Are – are you sure? Why do you think so?"

"Well – we've been going out for six months," said Liz, "And – I think it's pretty serious. I mean, it's just so – _easy_ , you know? Sirius _understands_ me… He knows how to make me laugh, he can tell when I'm upset or angry – but most of all, he makes me happy. Every time I see him, I feel a little flutter in the region of my stomach, and my heart beats a little faster…" She smiled slowly. "I've never felt this way about anyone before – and honestly, I don't see myself as happy with anyone else as I am with Sirius – right now."

There was a pause as Lily silently took all this in. Part of her was ecstatic for her friend, while the other part, the more logical one, screamed out caution. Sirius Black's history with girls was sketchy at best; aside from Marlene last year, he'd mostly dated and dumped girls within two weeks, from what she knew. And yet – this was different. She'd observed Black and Liz together for several months now; she'd seen how happy Liz was when he was around… But she'd also seen how happy Black was when he was with her…

"In that case," she said at last, focusing on Liz, "I'm so, so happy for you." She pulled Liz into a tight embrace, and Liz reciprocated her act. "Are you going to tell him?" she asked as she drew back. At that, Liz shuddered and said, "I dunno…"

"You should," Lily said firmly. "In my opinion, directness is key here – especially considering _who_ your boyfriend is…"

"Fair point," said Liz, snorting. "Yeah – I suppose it's better if I tell him…"

"And one more thing," Lily continued, "People _like_ it – they _like_ being told that someone loves them. So, you'd be doing a good thing by telling him – don't worry about being vulnerable, this is far beyond that."

"How do you know that _that's_ what I was worried about?" Liz asked, smiling appreciatively. Lily grinned back at her and said, "Well – I know _you_ , don't I?"

"Yes – I daresay you do," said Liz, nodding. "Thanks, Lil – I guess I needed to hear that. You're a good friend!"

"I know," said Lily dryly, repeating the phrase Liz had used several times in the past. Liz threw a pillow at her, and she dodged it, laughing. "Don't let it get into your head," her best friend said, and Lily guffawed again. "I'm glad you got what I said in _your_ head," she said mischievously, "Considering that there's room for only one person there –"

"Ugh – I knew this was coming," said Liz, rolling her eyes, and Lily laughed harder. Before she could tease Liz more, however, the other girl quickly changed the subject. "Parchment? Considering you and I have some free time right now?"

"Hmm – all right," said Lily, and produced the piece of parchment from her pocket. "Though I don't mind talking more about how you're in _lou_ –"

"Ugh," said Liz again, going beetroot red and snatching the parchment away, much to Lily's amusement. "All right, here's what we have so far," she said, with the air of someone wanting to get to the point as quickly as possible, "Godric, Gryffindor, valiant, sword, the, the, of, of, his, out, be…"

"And these are the unmatched letters that we have," said Lily, and wrote the remaining letters below their list of words. "A, A, C, D, E, H, L, L, N, P, T, U," she reeled off, "Hmm – doesn't look very straightforward…"

"Yeah – but from the words we have, here's a partial sentence," said Liz, her brow furrowed in concentration. "'The sword of the valiant Godric Gryffindor'… See, Sirius was right, this message probably gives directions on finding the sword!"

"Well – then we should figure it out, and fast!" Lily exclaimed. Looking at the unmatched letters, she said, "I see some words here – chat, tap, pat, hell, put, can…"

"There are too many words here," said Liz, shaking her head. "We need to narrow it down… Look at the other words we have – of, his, out, be…"

"Out of these, only 'out' seems promising," said Lily. "It's a preposition – and if there's an 'of' to support it, the two words may go together – like 'something "out of" something…'"

"I think you're right," said Liz, "And we have 'his', too – so it can very well be 'something "out of his" something –'"

"Nicely reasoned," complimented Lily. "On that angle – what words can come before 'out'? Like 'take', 'pull' –"

"Hang on – 'pull'! That can be formed from these letters!" Liz said excitedly. "Look – it can be 'pull out of his' –"

"There _has_ to be a noun after 'his'," said Lily decisively. "And from the remaining letters, we have – hat, net, chat…"

"'Hat' – that's the most likely," said Liz, nodding. "That leaves – 'can' and 'Ed' –"

"Unless," said Lily slowly, "The 'ed' is for the past tense of 'pull'! Y'know – 'pulled out of his hat' –"

"And 'can be' goes before that, I think we've solved it!" Liz exclaimed, beaming. She quickly wrote the latest set of words on the parchment, and read, "The sword of the valiant Godric Gryffindor can be pulled out of his hat –"

"—only by a true Gryffindor!" Lily finished, reciting the part of the message they'd translated earlier from Latin. "That's it! That's the message!" She exchanged an overhead clap with Liz, and said, "Wow – I can't believe we solved this! Now all we have to do is figure out if Gryffindor had a hat as well – oh, this is a never-ending puzzle!" She sat back down, her excitement ebbing slightly.

"Hey – don't worry, we'll find something on his hat," Liz said, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder. Lily smiled and said, "Well – no time like the present, right? Dinner's done – and like you said, we're both fine with our exam preparation – so, want to go to the library and read up on Gryffindor's so-called-and-possibly-non-existent hat?" She chuckled at her own joke.

"Ooh, I can't now – I'm going for a night-time stroll with Sirius," said Liz, blushing slightly.

"Really? Eager beaver, aren't you?" Lily asked, winking at her best friend. "Are you going to tell him – now?"

"No," said Liz firmly. "Tomorrow – _after_ our date, maybe…"

Lily nodded and stood up. "All right, then – I'll do it myself," she said, "Maybe I'll find someone to help me – someone who isn't hopelessly in lou, that is –"

"Ugh, just – bugger off," Liz said, a little exasperatedly, and Lily laughed before making her way out of the dormitory and towards the portrait hole. She waved at Remus and Peter along the way; like her, they too seemed to be taking a night off, for they were engrossed in what appeared to be a closely-fought game of Chess. On another day, she'd have stayed and watched; however, she had other things on her mind right now…

Once in the library, she began her search in the history section. She found an empty table, and promptly sat at it with a copy of Hogwarts: A History; she was sure she could find something there. However, there was nothing of note there on a hat which belonged to Godric Gryffindor, and she sighed and pushed the book aside. _I'll keep looking_ , she thought, looking at her watch. _I still have an hour before the library closes…_

She spied James and Olivia sitting at a table, studying quietly. Olivia seemed engrossed, but James looked bored… _Hmm, I wonder if he'd help me_ , she thought, beckoning him over. He caught her eye, and made his way towards her quickly. "All right, Evans?" he asked brightly, and she grinned; she didn't mind that greeting anymore.

"Peachy," she said, "And what's more, you're not going to believe this…" She quickly showed him the decoded message, and felt heartened with the appreciation on his face. "You're amazing, you are," he declared softly, and Lily blushed. "It's not over yet – we still need to figure out where we can find Gryffindor's hat," she reminded him, and he nodded. "I remember reading about it once," he said thoughtfully, "Pretty sure it was in 'The Founders of Hogwarts'…"

"Hmm – I think it's here, in this shelf," said Lily, and quickly found the book in question. James found another copy, and they both began to skim through their copies. "Are you sure it's in here?" Lily asked, "I mean, this book is pretty thick – could take us a while to find it –"

"Here it is," he said, with a crooked grin on his face. "Turn to page three-hundred-and-ninety-four – the second paragraph."

Marvelling at the speed at which he'd found the page, Lily began to read it. "' _The four founders sought to devise an elegant method to Sort new students into Houses after they were gone. Legend has it that Godric Gryffindor pulled off his Wizard's hat, which was then bewitched by the four founders to recognize the abilities and traits of new students and Sort them into the four Houses accordingly…_ '" She looked up, a slow smile spreading across her face. "James," she said, a little breathlessly, "This is it! The Sword can be pulled out of the Sorting Hat – only by a true Gryffindor!"

"Yup – that's it," James agreed, his hazel eyes mirroring the excitement she felt. Before he said anything more, however, a low sound caught both their attention; he indicated for her to be quiet, but she didn't hear it again. _It sounded like footsteps_ , she thought… "Is there someone in the next aisle?" she whispered.

"I'll check," he whispered back, and drew his wand. A second later, he shook his head. " _Homenum Revelio_ says there's no one in the next aisle," he reported, and Lily relaxed. "All right – so, should we go to Dumbledore – and tell him that someone's in the Forest looking for the sword?" he continued.

"Aren't you busy?" she said, indicating Olivia's back. James drew in a sharp breath and said, "Oh, yes –"

"Don't worry about it, I'll do it," she said reassuringly. "And by the way – Liz told me you're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, too?"

"Yep," he said, shrugging, "I was fine with staying here, but Ollie wants me to have fun – she says she feels guilty that I'm spending less time with my friends, and though that isn't the case, she wants me to go, and I didn't really put up much of an argument…"

"Right," she said, smiling. "That's nice of her…"

"Yep," he agreed. "You're coming too, right? Want to join us? It's just me and the Worm, y'know – Moony has his, er –"

"I understand," she said swiftly, "Is it tomorrow – or Sunday?"

"Sunday night," said James tersely, and looked away. Lily's heart ached with sadness as she noted the pain on his face; she knew that he hated seeing Remus like that. Heck, _she_ did, too… "OK – sure," she said, giving him a slight smile. "I'm glad you asked – I was wondering what I'd do there, now that all my friends have dates –"

" _We_ don't," he pointed out, and she grinned. "I meant the girls," she said simply, and he chuckled. "Right – well, I should get back to Ollie," he said, "Meet us at ten in the Great Hall? The three of us can go together…"

"Will do," Lily said, nodding. "See you tomorrow, then!" She gave him a little wave, and began to walk towards the door.

"Lil," James called, and she turned around inquiringly. "Good work," he said, and beamed at her. She grinned back at him and gave him the thumbs-up, before exiting the library. She made her way towards Dumbledore's office, eager to tell him about what they'd learnt… At the entrance, she paused and said, "Hmm – Liquorice Wand." The gargoyle sprang to life and moved aside to reveal the spiral staircase, but just as she was about to move forward, it said, "No point – he's not in his office."

"Well – you could've led with that," she said, a little irritably.

"The first words you uttered were the password," said the gargoyle. "These days, people don't even think to ask if the Headmaster's in –"

"Yeah, yeah, all right," she said, rolling her eyes, "I'll just come back later." The gargoyle slid back into place, obstructing the spiral staircase, and Lily returned to the common room. _I'll tell him tomorrow_ , she thought as she went to bed. _I guess it can wait a bit…_

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Dumbledore wasn't at the breakfast table either, which was most odd; however, Lily figured that she could always tell him the next time she saw him, and she didn't read too much into the Headmaster's absence. Instead, she waited for Peter and James after breakfast, and gave Liz an encouraging look as she departed with Black. She hoped that Black reciprocated her best friend's feelings…

"Ready?" came James's voice, and she grinned at him. "'Course – let's go!" she said enthusiastically, and James raised his eyebrows. "It's unsettling – to see you so chirpy, with the exams just ten days away!" he said, giving her a little wink.

"C'mon, Prongs – you know what this means," said Peter, "She's all prepared – she's going to top the year, and leave us all far behind!" Lily raised her eyebrows with surprise; a teasing comment like that from the fat boy was completely out of character, and she couldn't quite muster a comeback as James clapped Peter on the back with amusement.

"Any more cheek from you, Pete, and you're on your own with Charms," she said mock-threateningly at last, and the grin slid off Peter's face at once as his eyes widened. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," she said quickly, and he relaxed at once. "C'mon, Lily – be nice, don't give him a heart attack," said James, a crooked grin on his face. She mock-punched him, and he drew back, laughing.

"Is Remus OK?" she asked them in an undertone, and they sobered up at once. "He's resting," said James, "The day before, and the day after – that's when his pain is pretty severe."

She sighed. "Hope he recovers quickly," she said, and the two boys nodded. "Shall we?" James asked, and she nodded; together, they set off towards Hogsmeade, chatting about their upcoming exams. Peter, she noted, was carrying his Chess set; as soon as she noticed, he smiled and asked, "Fancy a game today, Lily?"

"Ever ready for Chess, Pete," she said, smiling as she ruffled his hair.

"How come he gets his hair ruffled – and I don't?" James asked, with mock-jealousy. Lily grinned mischievously and said, "Well – even if I ruffle your hair, I doubt if it'll look less like a hedgehog." Peter laughed, and James narrowed his eyes at her. He produced a hairband from his pocket, and proceeded to wear it; it did make his hair a bit more organized, but in Lily's opinion, it still looked weird. "Better," she said nonetheless, and he gave her a satisfied smile as they continued to walk.

They bought a few sweets at Honeydukes', and Lily wandered around in Dervish and Banges' while the boys shopped for joke items at Zonko's; she made a mental note to attempt to confiscate those when she had a chance. Instead, she ran into Ashley Bond, who greeted her cordially; Lily noted that she looked a lot happier than she had all year.

"All set for the exams?" she asked, and Ashley snorted. "I think so – but that's not on my mind at all right now!" she said cheerfully, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "Really? Then what is?" she asked, astonished.

"My Dad – he's been cured!" Ashley exclaimed, and did something she'd never done before; she pulled Lily into a tight embrace. "Thank you," she whispered as she drew back.

"That's – that's wonderful news, Ashley," said Lily, feeling genuinely happy for the other girl. "But – I didn't do anything –"

"'Course you did," said Ashley. "I got a letter from Mum just this morning – apparently, Potter's Dad and Mr McKinnon pulled some strings, and got someone to give us an update on the progress being made on that poison antidote, and accelerate the process, too. Daddy's wasn't the only case, see? There were a few others, just like him – Aurors, not particularly well-known – but the Ministry kept their identities a secret. Then – just a week ago, that antidote was finally ready, and Daddy was the first person on whom it was tested, since he was the first one affected by the poison. Bottom line – Daddy's cured!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"That's great!" Lily exclaimed. "But if you do want to thank someone, you should thank James – it was he who spoke to his Dad –"

"Yep – that was going to be my next question," said Ashley, "D'you know where he is?"

"You don't have to look very far," smiled Lily as she spotted James and Peter only a little way away, laden with merchandise, "Here they are!"

After Ashley had finished thanking James and bringing him up to speed, she said, "I'll thank Liz and Marlene too, when I see them – I'll see you lot around."

"Ah, going back to your date, are we?" teased Lily, and Ashley snorted again. "Nah – I'm actually here just to find you all and thank you in person," she said seriously. "Brenda and Felicity – they're studying back at the castle… They're tense about the exams, see?"

"In that case, why don't you join us for lunch?" Lily invited, half-glancing towards James and Peter, who nodded in assent (though she couldn't help but note that James's nod was a little strained, and Peter looked nervous). Ashley smiled and said, "Thank you – it's very nice of you to invite me. I'd be happy to join you – if they're OK with it, that is…" She indicated James and Peter, and Lily supposed that Ashley had noticed the same things that she had.

"We're fine – the more the merrier," said James, and to his credit, his smile seemed genuine. Peter nodded again, and the four of them proceeded to make their way towards the Three Broomsticks. They ran into Marlene, whom Ashley proceeded to thank. They sat at a table, and Lily noted suspicious looks from some of the Slytherins as they spotted one of their own in the midst of their rivals; however, Ashley ignored them completely, and Lily had to admire her nerve. _She's not one to back down_ , she thought…

To her surprise, Liz and Black joined them, and after Ashley had thanked Liz too, what was supposed to be a normal meal turned out to be an awkward one-hour lunch as Black and Liz proceeded to kiss each other the whole time, and at times, a little too exuberantly. Lily supposed that Liz had finally told Black, which had led to this reaction; however, her friend non-verbally conveyed to her that the deed hadn't been done yet, causing her to roll her eyes at the thought of them being this affectionate on all their dates. As soon as Peter was done with lunch, James suggested that they head back to the castle, and Peter immediately asked Lily if they could play Chess under the beech tree on the grounds. She agreed, and Ashley asked if she could watch, resulting in the four of them making a hasty exit towards the castle (Lily doubted if Black and Liz had even noticed that they'd left, so busy were they with each other).

Once at the beech tree (after James Banished the merchandise from Zonko's to his dormitory), Lily and Peter started their Chess match, as James and Ashley watched attentively. Peter started off with an aggressive Moscow Blitzkrieg opening, but Lily countered with the Nile Defence, and executed it to perfection as Peter found it impossible to overcome her impregnable hold. He initiated a risky Knight-and-Bishop-for-Castle exchange, but Lily countered his positional advantage with some good tactical gameplay. Finally, with the position marginally in Lily's favour, Peter looked up.

"Could go either way from here, Lily," he said, and for the first time, Lily noticed that he seemed unsure of himself. She felt heartened; Peter was at his most confident when he was playing Chess, and if she had rattled him, the match was hers to win. She gave him a smug smile and said, "Actually, Pete – I think it can go only _one_ way from here."

"I concur," said Ashley, who had been silent for almost two hours, "She's going to win here, Pettigrew –"

"I could help you, Pete," James offered, but Peter shook his head. "Nah, that's fine," he said, but his eyes were on Lily. "If you think you're winning, Lily – think again," he declared, "Castle to f8 – check."

"Knight to d8," said Lily, and her Knight moved into position immediately. Peter grinned and said, "Ha, I was hoping you'd play that – this isn't over yet!" He moved his Bishop, and within minutes, Lily could see her advantage slipping away. Her defence was still strong, however, and she fought back hard; she managed to push Peter back at last, but he kept advancing his pawns. Finally, after about an hour, Lily grinned in triumph. "Castle takes g7," she said, and her Castle happily moved across the board to drag the last of Peter's pawns off it. "There you go, Pete – it's over, it's Castle-and-King-versus-King, that's checkmate!"

"Hmm – it is, yeah," conceded Peter, "But – can you _do_ it? If you don't know how, it's still a draw!"

"C'mon, Pete – don't try to get away on a technicality," said James, as Ashley snorted with laughter. Pete shook his head stubbornly and said, "Nothing like that, Prongs – but if she doesn't know how to checkmate with a Castle –"

"Prongs?" interrupted Ashley. "Is that because of your antlers in Potions a few years ago, Potter?" She grinned at him, and he smiled back. "Yep," he said simply, and Ashley chuckled.

"Who says I don't know how to checkmate with only a Castle?" Lily countered Peter. _Well, I don't_ , she conceded to herself. _But I can wing it…_ She continued, "Let's see – King to e5."

Fifteen minutes later, a morose Peter was congratulating a jubilant Lily for an excellent game of Chess. "Well played – I'll beat you next time," he said, and Lily grinned at him mischievously. "Don't be so sure of that," she taunted light-heartedly, and James laughed. "She got you good, Pete," he said, and the fat boy nodded sombrely. Clapping a hand on his shoulder, James said, "C'mon – let's go to the kitchens, that'll cheer you up."

Peter brightened at once, and they all stood up. "Want to come?" Lily asked Ashley, who shook her head and said, "I should get back to Bren and Felicity – but this was easily the best four hours of silence I've spent. You're both excellent at Wizard's Chess!"

"Thanks," said Lily and Peter together, and Ashley waved at the three of them before making her way back towards the castle. Lily, Peter and James followed suit; they stopped by at the kitchens for some macaroons and tea, following which Peter suggested that they might as well go for dinner, since it was dinnertime anyway. Lily agreed, but James excused himself to meet Olivia. Peter and Lily spent most of dinner discussing their match; they were soon joined by James and a tired-looking Olivia, whom Lily reassured that the OWLs wouldn't be too tough for her if she was studying the way she was, prompting a relieved smile from the other girl.

Lily went up to Gryffindor tower soon after, and went straight to her dormitory after exchanging nods with Remus and Black, who seemed to be having a serious sort of discussion. She planned to fully revise Transfiguration that night… After spending the day in Hogsmeade, she was inclined to study hard, with a fresh mind. However, as she entered the dormitory, she froze in her tracks.

Liz was curled up in a ball on her bed, with Mary sitting next to her and patting her head gently. Lily's eyes widened with fear and worry, and she quickly joined them. "Liz – what happened? What's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

"She's not saying," said Mary, who looked distressed. "She's been crying silently for I dunno how long, she was here when I got here five minutes ago –"

"Liz," said Lily softly as she sat down next to Mary. She squeezed Liz's hand gently and asked, "Liz – what happened? Did you do it?"

Liz's tear-filled sea-green eyes found Lily's own, and she nodded silently.

"And?" prodded Lily, dreading the answer… She was the one who had pushed Liz to tell Black how she felt, and it would be her fault if Black had broken Liz's heart. _Well, mine and Black's_ , she thought, her eyes narrowing.

Liz shook her head and began to sob. Understanding at once what she meant, Lily quickly and gently lifted her best friend's head and placed it on her thigh. She patted Liz's head and said soothingly, "Sshh, it'll be all right… Don't you worry, it's all going to be OK…"

"What did she do? What're you talking about?" Mary asked urgently, but Lily shook her head no and indicated that she'd tell her later. Mary nodded in understanding, and squeezed Liz's hand gently as Liz cried her heart out, clutching Lily for dear life. Lily shook her head as the heartache she was feeling for Liz was slowly replaced by anger towards Sirius Black. _I made a mistake_ , she thought. _He's just as bad as he was earlier, and here I was thinking that he was actually serious about Liz. I shouldn't have pushed her to tell him how she felt…_

Gently lowering Liz's head onto her bed, Lily stood up. "Stay here – stay with her," she said firmly to Mary, who nodded; Liz tried to clutch at her robes, but Lily gently stepped away. "Wait here, Liz," she said softly, "I promise you – one way or another, I'm going to get to the bottom of this." She waved grimly to both girls, and set off to find Sirius Black…

She descended the spiral staircase at top speed, burst into the common room and stalked off straight towards the portrait hole; however, someone called out her name – it was James. Sighing, she went over to where he and Remus were sitting. "I take it you heard?" James asked her, and she gave him a curt nod. "Look – I know you're going to bite Sirius's head off – your face says as much," he said, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "But – please, _not now_. Peter's with him to find out what's happened – let him do it, all right? Don't interrupt," he added feelingly.

"I'm not making any promises," said Lily, with her hands on her hips. "Black's hurt Liz – and he's going to be sorry!"

"All the same – let Peter talk to him first," interjected Remus, who looked ill. "Please?" he added somewhat beseechingly, and she sighed. "Fine," she said, "D'you know where they are?"

"Courtyard – or near the beech tree," said James, and Lily nodded at him before marching off. Climbing out of the portrait hole, Lily hurried along the corridor angrily, making her way to the castle grounds… She felt awful to leave Liz in that state, but she was sure that Mary would take care of her. Her main concern was finding Sirius Black – and beating the stuffing out of him.

Irate thoughts ran through her brain. _Is that the way someone reacts when their girlfriend tells him she loved him? I should have known… The bleeding idiot_ , she thought indignantly. Sure, she'd known that Black had a commitment phobia, but the way things had been going between him and Liz for the past six months, she was sure that he'd gotten over it… She shook her head. She'd misjudged the situation entirely, and she was responsible for Liz's current state…

She didn't exactly trust Peter of all people to handle the situation all that well, either. When had Peter proven himself to be a genius when it came to matters of delicacy? _Remus would've been a better choice_ , she thought as she walked along briskly, coming outside the castle and checking the courtyard; there was no one there. The sun lay low in the orange-red sky, and the grounds were deserted; she supposed that everyone was back from Hogsmeade and studying away. She made her way towards the beech tree, and spotted two figures sitting under it…

She walked even faster, until coming to a halt about twenty feet away from them – James' words had just come back to her. _Don't interrupt_. She didn't know why, but she seemed to realize that she should heed to what he'd said. And so, she cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and made her way to hide the beech tree. Neither of the boys heard her as she sat down as well, trying to make out what sort of comfort Peter was giving Black; she felt guilty to eavesdrop, but then again, she needed to find out Black's state of mind before giving him a piece of her own.

"So – she said she loves you," Peter was saying, "So what? How many other girls have said that to you before?" _Typical boys_ , thought Lily, annoyed. _They think it's so easy to play with the feelings of girls, the insensitive ectoplasms,_ she thought bitterly.

"That's not the point, Pete," said Black, and Lily was surprised to hear his tone: rather than sounding haughty and arrogant, he sounded morose and desperate.

"No, that _is_ the point," said Peter, more firmly than she would've given him credit for. "You've gone out with so many girls, you've had so many girls fawn all over you, and you've broken many hearts with these – ah – flings, I'd say," Peter continued. Lily was surprised at how bluntly Peter was speaking; the normally shy and timid boy was speaking in a way most uncharacteristic to his own. "So why is this girl different? Why are you so melancholy? Usually, when you end a fling, you're relieved. So why not now?" Peter asked Black. Lily had to give him credit, he was being rather tough. Plus, she was surprised. _Sirius Black, melancholy over a girl?_

"This isn't a fling," said Black firmly. "And – I dunno why I'm upset," he added, his voice faltering.

"I think you do, Padfoot," said Peter softly. "Now are you going to say it yourself, or do you want me to spell it out for you?" She was surprised; Peter sounded a little harsh.

Black said nothing, and Peter continued.

"You obviously have feelings for her," he said forthrightly. "We've seen you with her, Pad. She's not just a girl you like to snog all the time. She's talented and frightfully clever, and she challenges you intellectually. She shares your beliefs, acts like your pillar of support, even does your homework for you sometimes," he added. Lily listened closely. "You genuinely like her, Padfoot," Peter continued. "You like her and care about her, and that scares you. You're used to snogging one girl today and a different one tomorrow. The mere fact that you were with her for six months speaks volumes for how much she means to you. Of course, you were with Marlene for more than that, but I've never seen you as happy as you've been with Liz – than with any other girl."

There was a pause, and Lily marvelled at Peter's ability to put down all the facts with cold logic. Peter ploughed on, "I know you don't like to commit. But you did, to Liz. She's not just your girlfriend, she's also one of your best friends. She's someone whom you genuinely respect, and someone you'll do _anything_ for – don't deny it, you would, that match against Slytherin is evidence enough," he added firmly.

"She said she loved me, Pete," said Black, his voice even more despairing. "And for the first time, I cannot say it to her. I've said it back to a lot of girls before, but you're right – they didn't really mean anything to me. I only said it before 'coz they behaved even more affectionately after I did…" Lily shook her head with disgust. _The bleeding, flirting, Casanova_ , she thought scathingly.

"I can't say it to Liz, Pete… It would break her heart if I end it – like I always have," Black finished. "I don't want to break her heart."

"So – let me get this straight," said Peter incredulously. "You tell girls you love them because you don't mean it, and you cannot do the same to Liz because you don't want to break her heart? You idiot!" he exclaimed. "You absolute _moron!_ How can you be so blind? Can't you see what is in front of you?" Lily was surprised at Peter's sudden outburst, and from Black's silence, she supposed that he was, too.

"You _care_ about her feelings, Padfoot," said Peter, speaking with the air of explaining to someone that two and two make four. "You're not only showing empathy towards her – but you're trying to protect her feelings, as well! You know what this means, don't you? You love her," he said shrewdly. Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. Peter Pettigrew, of all people, had put forth a rather sensible argument about how Sirius Black felt about Elizabeth Huntington…

"Blimey, you're right, Pete," said Black, his voice sharp. "I can't believe I've been so blind! I was scared all this time that I was beginning to care about Liz, but you just made me realize how – how _right_ it is," he said decisively. "I've just had an epiphany, thanks to you. I love her!" he proclaimed.

 _Unbelievable_ , thought Lily. _Boys can be so stupid sometimes!_

"When did you get so sensible?" asked Black, his tone betraying the shock he felt. "I've always been more sensible than you give me credit for, Pad," Peter said lightly. Lily heard Black laugh. "Now go and tell her how you feel!" Peter encouraged further.

"Thanks, Pete, for making me realize what a fool I was being," said Black, and she heard sincerity in his voice. Peter laughed. "You don't have to thank me. Consider it a friend helping out another, as you and Prongs did for me all those years ago."

"What did we do?" asked Black, nonplussed.

"Blimey, you really don't remember, do you?" asked Peter. "Well, it was back in our fourth year… You see, despite the four of us running around together – I kept questioning my place in the group. I mean, Prongs was our leader, you were his second-in-command, Moony was the intelligent and insightful voice of reason, and I – I didn't really fit in. But then this happened…"

XXXXX Peter's POV XXXXX

" _Locomotor Mortis!_ " shouted Avery. Peter's legs suddenly joined together, and try as he might, he couldn't get them loose. Mulciber and Avery laughed. "Good one, Bruno," said Mulciber. Peter bunny-hopped around, but he couldn't remember the counter-curse for the life of him, so he couldn't really do much else. Mulciber laughed and yelled, " _Serpensortia!_ "

Peter watched in horror as a snake erupted from Mulciber's wand and slithered towards him. He gave a terrified squeak and bunny-hopped backwards, trying to get away from the serpent, but it was of no use – the reptile was too fast, and it was gaining on him.

"Going somewhere?" taunted Mulciber, " _Cados!_ "

Peter recognized the incantation of the Trip Jinx as he fell backwards. His wand flailed uselessly in his hands as he watched the snake move closer to him. He closed his eyes in horror, the snake was inches away from him –

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ "

Peter opened his eyes to see the snake frozen next to him, its fangs about half a foot from his legs. He turned his head around and almost cried with relief as he saw James and Sirius hurry towards him, their wands raised, their faces furious. It seemed like Sirius had cast the Body-Bind curse on the snake.

"What're you doing?" James yelled. Mulciber replied scornfully, "Teaching blood traitors like you a lesson, Potter. _Furnunculus!_ " He saw James dive aside to dodge the curse. " _Labocrus!_ " shouted Avery, and Sirius dived out of the way too. " _Rictusempra!_ " James screamed, and Mulciber doubled over, laughing uncontrollably; James had hit him with a Tickling Charm. Avery looked at his friend, and that one second of distraction was enough for Sirius to shout, " _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Avery fell on the ground next to Mulciber, still and rigid as a board.

"You OK?" asked James, kneeling next to Peter and helping him to his feet. "My legs are locked, and I don't remember the counter-curse!" he said pathetically. Sirius sighed, pointed his wand at Peter's legs, and said, " _Finite!_ " Peter's legs broke apart, and he looked up in relief. "Thanks," he said sincerely, and Sirius nodded.

"Come on, we'd better report this to a teacher, we don't want them lying around like this, do we?" said James. Sirius looked like he wanted to object, but thought better of it; he merely nodded and set off after James. Peter followed the two, relieved that they'd saved him from the snake, as Mulciber's laughter faded away in the distance.

"How did you find me?" he asked them as they stopped to take a breather. James snorted. "You missed dinner because of that Divination homework, and you know the way to the kitchens. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that where you were, Pete. It's nearly curfew, so we came looking for you." Peter was touched, but he still felt pangs of insecurity. _They're so much cleverer and talented than me,_ he thought. _They're charismatic, they're popular… Everyone likes them. Sirius's looks and James's talent on the Quidditch pitch has so many girls fawning over them. So why did they come to rescue me?_

"Er – _why?_ " he asked awkwardly, his mind in a state of turmoil. Sirius looked at him as though he was mad. "What do you mean, _why?_ You're our mate, that's why," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Peter shook his head.

"Come off it! Look, I know you two just let me follow you around because you're too nice to tell me to – to bugger off," he said, and he felt himself blush. James and Sirius looked nonplussed. He hastened to continue, "I mean, look at it this way. You two are intelligent, smart and talented. Everyone likes you. And Remus – Remus is the voice of reason when you get carried away. But me? How do I fit in? I really don't!" he said awkwardly.

James's face split into a grin. "You're mental, Pete. You've always been our mate! You've been a really great mate to us in more ways than you think! Remember second year, when you and I ate too many sandwiches for breakfast, and nearly missed the start of Transfiguration? Sirius and Remus had already gone ahead, and we dashed off so that McGonagall wouldn't take points off us for tardiness… And I tripped over a staircase and broke my ankle…" A small smile came to James's face. "Who carried me to the hospital wing, without even caring about skiving a class like Transfiguration, thereby braving McGonagall's ire?"

Peter flushed pink. "Me," he said shortly.

"Who vouched for us and swore that we'd been in the common room one evening back in third year, when we were actually chucking Dungbombs at Snivellus, hidden under the Cloak?" Sirius asked, grinning as well. "He knew it was us, because – well, we shouted 'You stink, Snivelly!' at him –" he shrugged, "—but when _someone_ swore that we'd been in the common room to McGonagall, we escaped detention! Who saved our skins then?"

Peter's blush deepened. "That was me, too," he said, and Sirius clapped his hand on his back proudly.

"Plus," said James, "Who completed my Care of Magical Creatures homework when I had that extra Quidditch practice last month, just before our match with Slytherin? Who was that?"

"Me," said Peter again.

"And," said Sirius, "Just a few weeks ago, remember how I kissed Karen Norton and then decided that she wasn't my type? Who went to her, told her that I wanted to end things with her, got a faceful of pumpkin juice, endured weeks of teasing after that, and never said a word about it?"

"Again, me," said Peter, flushing more crimson than ever, "OK, OK – it sounds a lot cooler when you say it like that –" he held up his hands, "—but really, I was only doing you a – a _favour_."

"Well, that's what friends do for each other, don't they?" said James happily. "You're our mate, Pete – you don't have to question your place with us! You've helped us out of so many tight spots, and if it hadn't been for you, we'd be in detention a lot more often!"

"We knew you were force to be reckoned with, when you out-ate me on our first day back, and spent the night moaning and clutching your stomach!" grinned Sirius, and James laughed. Peter smiled, a warm glow spreading across his body. _They genuinely counted him as one of them!_

"Thanks, you two," he said sincerely, glad that James and Sirius were really his friends, glad that they respected and appreciated him, glad that his insecurities were unfounded. He felt his eyes moisten at the revelation, but Sirius wagged his index finger. "Now, don't get sappy, Pete," he said. Peter laughed, and James put an arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, now, let's go to McGonagall," he said, and the three friends sprinted away…

XXXXX End of Peter's POV XXXXX

"Ah, yes," said Black. "I remember, you were being a real sap then, Wormtail." He laughed, and Peter laughed along with him. "I know that, but you don't know how happy I felt that day when I found out that you two really counted me as your friend. And I'm sure glad I could help you see the light today," he said, smiling slightly.

"Blimey, you're right. I have to find Liz." Black stood up. "Thanks, Pete!" he called, and sprinted off towards the castle. Peter watched him go, a smile of relief on his face. Lily felt that it was high time she revealed herself; taking the Disillusionment Charm off her, she stepped forward from behind the beech tree and tapped Peter on his back. He jumped and turned around, startled.

"Lily!" he said, astonished. "When did you get here?"

"I _was_ here," she said, smiling from ear-to-ear. She didn't know what made her do it; maybe it was the relief that Peter had made Black see sense, maybe it was gratitude, but the next moment she pulled him into a big hug. He hesitated and stumbled backwards, but patted her awkwardly on her back.

"Thank you, Peter, for helping Black – and by extension, Liz," she said softly. He looked utterly bemused, but grinned nervously all the same. "No problem," he said, "You know what a git Pad – ah, Sirius – can be," he said, and she laughed. "Come on, we should head back – it's nearly dark," she said, beckoning to him. He obeyed at once, and they set off towards the castle together.

"Can you tell me something, Peter?" asked Lily.

"Sure," he replied, "What do you want to know?"

"That was a – a really good talk you gave Black – back there," said Lily. She felt a slight lump in her throat as she remembered how crushed Liz had been when she'd found her. "But I thought Remus was the one who acted as the – uh, _voice of reason_." She smiled slightly, and he went pink. "How long were you behind that tree, and how much did you hear?" he asked, rather defensively, and she laughed. "Long enough," she said cryptically. "But I thought it was Remus who was really good at this stuff, y'know, like talking sense into people. Or even James, for that matter, considering he's Black's best mate. So how did _you_ end up being the saving angel for Liz?"

Peter went even pinker; his watery-blue eyes betrayed embarrassment, and he said, "Well, it went like this…"

XXXXX Peter's POV XXXXX

"OK, what happened?" said James, as Ollie gave Sirius's retreating back a curious glance.

"Padfoot being Padfoot," said Peter resignedly, and briefly explained the situation to James. "Who's going to go after him now?" he added, and Remus shook his head. "Not me, I do it every time," he said.

"Liar – I did it last time," countered James. They both looked at Peter, who went crimson. "No way," he said, "I'm not even good at that kind of – of mushy stuff," he said, making a face. He turned to Ollie hopefully, but she shook her head. "Sorry, Pete – too much to study," she said, and he nodded in understanding. "In fact – I'm going to my dorm now to study some more – I'll see you in the morning, James," she added, before planting a kiss on his lips (Peter resolutely looked away); she gave them all a little wave and went off towards her dormitory.

"Anyway – _none_ of us are good at the mushy stuff, Wormy," said James, shrugging. "But it's your turn now."

"Nice try, Prongs," said Peter, "But Padfoot was the one who took you to the kitchens when Lily said she'd rather go out with the giant squid than you, so _you_ kind of owe it to him!"

"That was nearly a year ago!"

"Doesn't matter," said Peter firmly, "It was a pretty big thing. If I remember correctly, he also persuaded you to apologize to her and try being friends with her instead – and see how well that's worked out!"

James opened his mouth and closed it again before throwing himself in a chair, defeated.

"Fine, I guess it's up to the old Marauder standby," he said. Remus and Peter sighed. "Fine," they both said, and clenched their fists.

"Air, Water, Fire!" they yelled together; James waggled his fingers, while Remus and Peter opened and closed their fists continuously.

"Ha!" yelled James gleefully, "Fire beats Air! I'm out!"

Peter and Remus looked at each other exasperatedly before yelling, "Air, Water, Fire!" again; this time, Peter held up his hand and made a wave-like motion, while Remus stuck with opening and closing his fist.

"Ha! Air beats Water!" he said happily. Peter withdrew his hand slowly, frowning. "Just my luck!" he cursed, and got up to exit the common room.

"Just a minute, Pete," said James, and muttered something under his breath, waving his wand. An old piece of parchment flew zoomed down the stairs to him, and he caught it in his outstretched hand. "He's in the courtyard – blimey, he's fast," he said, examining the parchment, "Looks like he's heading for the beech tree – here, take this." Peter took it gratefully, and said, "Thanks – see you in a bit!"

Muttering under his breath, he exited the common room…

XXXXX End of Peter's POV XXXXX

"Wow," said Lily, "So you talked to Black because you lost some stupid game?" she asked, astonished. Peter flushed indignantly. "It's not stupid!" he said defensively.

"How does it work, then?" asked Lily, curious.

"Well, Fire –" he held up his palm and waggled his fingers, "—beats Air, because Air makes it stronger – the moving fingers indicate the flames. Air –" he opened and closed his fist, "—beats Water, because of penetration – the hand movement indicates Air being blown like wind, see? And finally, Water –" he moved his hand in a wave-like motion, "—beats Fire, and the movement indicates Water waves – so there!"

Lily looked at him, her mouth slightly open. Really, the Marauders could be childish sometimes… She shook herself slightly. "Interesting game," she said dryly, "And I'm glad you lost, Peter – because it seems to have worked!" She ruffled his hair, and he smiled, looking bemused once again. "I honestly don't know how it happened," he said. "I only said some things that I'd noticed and those that made sense to me."

"Give yourself some credit, Peter," said Lily warmly. He flushed with pleasure as she smiled at him, and they continued walking to Gryffindor tower in silence… Lily frowned as she remembered another thing he'd said. Whatever had he meant? They were nearly at their destination when she decided to ask him. She held out a hand to stop him just around the corner from the portrait hole, and he obeyed, looking at her in confusion.

"So," she said, trying to force her voice to sound casual, "James was kind of upset about the whole giant squid thing, huh?"

Peter shifted guiltily. "Er – you weren't supposed to know that. I may have accidentally let that slip," he said, lowering his gaze. "I'm not really sure what happened then, Lily… Perhaps you should ask Prongs or Padfoot about it." Clearly, he wasn't comfortable with what she was asking, and she took the hint at once and nodded. His face relaxed. "C'mon," she said, and led the way to the common room.

They climbed through the portrait hole, and a welcome sight met her eyes; Black and Liz were locked in an embrace, with Liz looking radiant even though her face was blotchy with tear streaks. Clearly, they'd sorted everything out, and Lily wondered what had made Liz get up from her bed and come down all the way to the common room… _She looked like she was nailed to that bed_ , she thought dryly. Peter whooped and Lily beamed, elated… _Hopefully everything will be OK now_ , she thought.

Peter's words came back to her as she spotted James sitting with Remus and Mary. _I must find out what Black said to him that night_ , she thought curiously. _I need an opening…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's Note:**

Chapter 15 is almost ready. I will post it the moment I get three reviews for Chapter 14. You know what to do! :-P


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for the reviews, GoanBookworm, Nupurlath, KJ and Anna. That was fast! As promised, here is the next chapter!

 **GoanBookworm:** Nice name! Thank you, and I hope you review this chapter too!

 **Nupurlath:** Thank you! I included Peter's scene mainly to show that he did worship James and company, whatever he became later. At this point, I like to think that he genuinely likes and respects the others, and he will do what he can to help. Plus, Peter is observant – this key aspect of his character is in sync with JKR's.

 **KJ:** Good catch, that is where I took it from! Good to see that you pay attention to the Chapter titles as well! And shallow or not, a review is a review!

 **Anna:** Haha, I like romance, too – otherwise, I'd never have started writing this story! And yes, though Sirius is portrayed as a flirting Casanova, he has a lot of depth as a character. It's unfortunate that his growth as a person was permanently stuck due to Azkaban. As for Lily's Felix Felicis, more on that later – don't want to spoil things, do we? Haha! And yes, Peter was a character who deserves development, which may in a way explain why he did what he did. The rock-paper-scissors version of the Marauders, well – I was going to go with the original rock-paper-scissors, but a friend suggested that I make a different one here, something more relevant to wizards and magic – so, there! And yes, it is cheating – but it doesn't matter, I got my three reviews within the hour, so here's the next chapter as promised!

Hello everyone, here is chapter fifteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **I changed my ways, Lily – because that was what had to happen if I wanted to be your friend."**

Lily and Peter walked over to where James, Remus and Mary were sitting, looking fondly at the happy couple. "Well done, Pete – knew you could do it," said James, clapping Peter warmly on the back. Peter went pink and said, "Just like I was telling Lily here –" he gave Lily a sideways glance, "—I have no idea how this happened. All I did was say a couple of things I'd observed!"

"Your observations were spot on, then," said James, "'Coz Padfoot suddenly barged into the common room and shouted, 'I messed up! Where's Liz?' We just said she was in her dormitory, then he goes off – and you'll never guess what he did!"

"What?" Lily asked curiously.

"Tell 'em, Mary," said James, grinning. Mary laughed and said, "He flew – he flew all the way up to our dorm window, and banged it like he was mad, see? He kept saying he was sorry – and pleaded with Liz to come to the common room! He said he had something to tell her – and I had a real job getting Liz to listen, but she did, thankfully… And then – he came here and told her he loved her! It was so cute!" she added dreamily.

"Well – he does have a flair for theatrics," conceded Lily, and that prompted laughs from James, Remus and Peter. "Oh – you have no idea," said Remus, before the smile on his face was replaced by a painful grimace. James patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"You don't look too good, Remus," Lily said sympathetically, and he looked up at her with tired dark-brown eyes. "I'm still coming on rounds with you tonight, Lily," he said, and Lily clapped her hand to her forehead. "Dammit – I forgot to ask Ashley, and I was with her nearly all day!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Anyway, Remus –" she added, "—you need to rest, so don't worry about tonight. I'm perfectly capable of handling rounds on my own – unless, any of your mates want to sub in for you?"

She grinned mischievously at the identical expressions of shock on James's and Peter's faces. There was a moment's silence, and James said, "Prefect rounds? _Us?_ " He looked revolted, and she laughed. "Yup," she said, "One of you can join me for prefect rounds if you want to, since Remus is too tired… But I can do it alone, obviously."

There was another pause, and she saw something like apprehension flicker in James's eyes. It was very easy to understand what he was thinking; it was an internal battle for him, to go on something as mundane as a prefects' patrol would be a bit of hypocrisy for him, especially considering that a prankster such as himself was opposed to all authority; against not wanting her to go alone, as there was a possibility that a Muggleborn like her would be targeted by unfriendly Slytherins. She felt terribly guilty; she was manipulating him to be alone with her in order to question him, and hated herself for it _. I'm doing what I have to do,_ she justified to herself. _I need to know how Black convinced him to be my friend… But this is bad – I'm playing him, I'm counting on his chivalry to make sure he accompanies me…_ She pushed those thoughts aside, slightly ashamed of herself. _It's for the best_ , she thought.

"I'll come with you," said James abruptly. "Ollie's studying anyway – I don't have much to do tonight. I'll stand in for you, Moony – take care of him, OK, Wormy?" Peter nodded and looked at Lily; his expression was slightly accusatory; she knew that he knew what her motives were on getting James alone with her, and she averted her eyes guiltily.

"You don't have to do that, James – I'll go –" said Remus tiredly, but James held up a hand. "I'll go, Moony, no big deal," he said soothingly. Remus nodded, his brown eyes grateful. Mary coughed, her expression somewhat superior. Lily knew what she was thinking, and looked at her with mild exasperation… _What does she think I'm doing, chatting up to James?_ She laughed inwardly. _He's with Ollie – why would I do that?_ She shook her head at Mary, who chuckled cheekily.

"C'mon," Lily said to James, and waved to the others before making her way to the portrait hole. Black and Liz were still locked in their embrace, and didn't look like they would break apart any time soon. James followed her into the corridor outside, and they began their round in silence. Lily waited, biding her time; she made small talk with him as they walked for a few minutes.

"This is boring," said James as they walked along a corridor on the fifth floor. "My sympathies to you, Lily – to have to go through this torture twice a week! Ugh!" He shook his head.

"Oh, c'mon," said Lily, making an impatient clicking noise with her tongue. "You don't even have to _do_ anything – just walk around, be on the lookout for miscreants –"

"But what if you don't find anybody?" he interrupted.

"Well – then we just go back to the common room at the end of our patrol," said Lily, shrugging.

"Exactly – which is why I said it's _boring_ ," said James, a little triumphantly.

"If it weren't for the patrols – who knows what would've happened if you hadn't been found that night," said Lily softly. She'd had nightmares about that terrible night, as the key moments flashing in front of her eyes…

" _C'mon, faster – it's this way!" Remus exclaimed, his voice urgent. She only nodded as she sprinted next to him, keeping pace with him quite easily… What was going on? It sounded like two people duelling –_

 _She turned a corner and stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe what she was seeing – it was Severus, and he was standing over someone's prone form with his wand raised and a maniacal grin on his face. Severus instinctively pointed his wand at them the moment he saw them; however, Lily followed suit, and screamed, "Step back, Severus! What did you do?"_

" _No more than what he deserved," said Severus sullenly, but stepped back nonetheless. Remus gasped from next to her; she followed his gaze to the person on the floor, and her heart nearly stopped as she recognized the untidy mop of jet-black hair and the glint of the metallic hairband on the person's head. It was James…_

" _Oh, my God!" she exclaimed as Remus darted forward. "What did you do, Severus?"_

 _Snape's eyes narrowed. "Like I said, no more than what he deserved," he responded aggressively._

" _He's hurt – bleeding through his chest," said Remus from the floor. Lily could see that he was finding it difficult to maintain his cool, and she immediately rushed over to him… She confirmed what he was saying, and desperately pressed her hands onto James's bare chest, trying to stop the blood flow… "Episkey!" she exclaimed, but it didn't work, and her terror went up a notch._ C'mon – stop! _she thought desperately, willing for the blood to cease…_

 _Remus, meanwhile, was facing Severus squarely. He said, "I'm going to ask one more time, Severus – what did you do?" His tone was still mild, but for the first time, Lily saw the shadow of the wolf on his face. She shuddered slightly._

 _Apparently, Severus saw it too, for he said with exaggerated nonchalance, "Nothing a bit of dittany can't fix." However, his eyes were narrowed, as if the information had been forcibly extracted from him._

" _James always carries dittany in his pocket!" Remus exclaimed, and began to search his friend's pocket; he withdrew a bottle from it triumphantly, and unscrewed the seal. "C'mon – help me," he said, and Lily obeyed, forcing herself to ignore the awkwardness of the situation as she joined him in delicately applying dittany to James's wounds. To her relief, they began to close up rapidly…_

" _Well, what serendipity!" Severus exclaimed, but there was no mistaking the anger in his voice. She looked up to find him staring at James with loathing in his eyes; he looked like he'd like nothing better than hurt him more. She stood up and pointed her wand at him once again. Never before in her life had she felt rage so intense…_

" _You accursed pithecanthropus," she said, her voice shaking as she used one of Captain Haddock's choicest swearwords. "You slimy, filthy sea-gherkin – HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed. "How dare you do that to anyone else! What if we hadn't arrived when we did? What if he'd –" she closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again, "—died, from blood loss?"_

 _Severus gazed at her intensely, and she could read a plethora of emotions in his black eyes: anger, loathing – and a little bit of triumph. She shuddered slightly at the absolute lack of regret in his eyes. "He wouldn't have died," he said dismissively, and picked up his bag. "Stop!" she exclaimed, but he only sneered at her. "I don't listen to you anymore," he flung at her, and before she could do anything more, he turned his heel and walked away swiftly._

" _Lily?"_

 _She turned around to find Remus still on the floor as he covered James's chest with his robes. "The blood's stopped – but we should take him to the Hospital Wing, fast. I dunno what else that Spell does…"_

" _Right," she said, and wiped a solitary tear from her eye. "Mobilicorpus," whispered Remus, and James's unconscious form rose in the air in front of them. "C'mon," he said, and she followed him and their insensible friend down the corridor…_

Severus has changed so much _, Lily thought sorrowfully._ I'm not sorry I ended my friendship with him… But never did I imagine that things would go so bad so soon… _Her thoughts went to James, and she couldn't control a sniffle. Remus heard, and he awkwardly patted her shoulder. "I know it was hard, seeing Severus do that," he said gently. But she shook her head, her eyes never leaving James's levitating form. "Oh, don't worry about James," said Remus reassuringly, "He's going to be fine, he's had worse injuries – and besides, the dittany worked, we got to him in time…"_

 _She only nodded, sniffling again but angrily wiping the tears from her eyes. "Snape had better watch out," she said grimly. "After I report him to Slughorn, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, I'm going to Curse him so badly that he's going to wish he'd left James well enough alone…"_

" _Remind me –_ never _to get on your bad side," said Remus, and she couldn't help but smile as they hurried towards the Hospital Wing…_

"OK, fine." James's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Fine – the patrols do have their merits…"

"That's _all_ I'm saying," said Lily, a little smirk on her face as they walked, careful to conceal the pain that the memories of that night brought. She'd spent the night in the Hospital Wing, Disillusioned, and sat at his bedside after Madam Pomfrey had forced Ollie to leave… Of course, after James had woken up, she'd pretended that she'd just arrived there fifteen minutes ago, and fallen asleep as a result of spending the entire night awake with worry…

"Anyway," James was saying, "Why did you want to get me alone, Lily? Is there something you want to tell me?"

She was surprised at his straightforwardness. _So much for being subtle_ , she thought, mentally kicking herself. Had she been that obvious? "Well, yes," she said, a little embarrassed.

"What is it, then?" he asked her curiously, and she took in a deep breath as she considered how to begin. Finally, she faced him as they continued to walk along the corridor. "It was something Peter said," she said. He raised his eyebrows, and his hazel eyes were confused and apprehensive as he asked, "What did he say, exactly?" She could tell that he was fighting to keep his tone nonchalant and even, which made it obvious that he was extremely interested in what she had to say.

 _Best say it quickly_ , she thought. "Well, it was the day Snape called me a – y'know," she said lamely. She saw him stiffen; clearly, that memory was still painful for him.

"I already told you, I regretted it. I even apologised to you," he said, and his voice shook a little.

She patted his hand. "I know that, James," she said, her voice gentle. "What I meant was… Well, Peter told me that you were really upset that I'd said I'd rather go out with the giant squid than with you." She felt a little ashamed as she spoke, and she was unable to understand why… _Why_ was she feeling ashamed? She'd meant it when she'd said it then.

He wheeled around to look at her. "That prat," he said, his tone annoyed. "He can't keep a secret. The fool!"

"Hey, don't get upset with Peter," she said, trying to calm him down. This wouldn't work if all she did was get him angry with Peter. "He did something good today; we should be proud of him."

She could see his features relax slightly. "Yeah, I guess," was all he said, though; she was going to have to try harder; he was not volunteering information easily.

"Well, Peter told me that Black comforted you that night," she said delicately. He nodded stiffly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

He looked at her, confusion in his eyes. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Because," she said, choosing her words carefully, "We're friends now, and we weren't friends then. I want to know what Black said to you which made you apologise to me. Tell me everything, James… I really want to know," she added gently.

His expression softened a little as she said his name. He paused, debating what he should tell her. "I'm really not sure I should tell you that, Lily…" he said, a little uncertainly. "I mean, it's kind of a secret between me and Sirius, y'know. And if I tell you, it'll just bring back memories of that day… I don't want to mess this up again, all right? You're my friend now, and I don't want you to hate me again – which you will, if I tell you what happened that day."

"I could never hate you, James," she said softly. This, she was utterly sure of. She had never _hated_ him. And, once she had seen another side to his personality, she could never hate him… She spoke fast to reassure him. "I told you last year, when we were flying to Wales, that I never hated you… But perhaps you didn't believe me then." She smiled slightly at his surprised face before continuing, "I only thought your head was too swollen for your own good, and I kept wishing you were nicer to other people. Liz and Marlene have always been friends with you, they've told me that you were a good person… I guess it took me a long time to see that." Her grin widened, and she squeezed his hand gently. He turned away; it looked like he was debating whether to tell her or not. Finally, to her enormous relief, he turned to face her again – but to her surprise, there was intense pain in his hazel eyes.

"I was broken that night, Lily," he said, his voice heavy. "I was _so_ used to having my way, and that day… Well, it was one of the worst I'd felt for a long time." His expression was agitated, and suddenly, she felt like it wasn't such a good idea, asking him to reveal what had happened… But it was too late now, and he was talking.

"I'd been chasing you since the beginning of fourth year, Lily. It was fun, and it began because I sort of had a crush on you at the time." He blushed slightly, and she was sure _she_ was blushing, too. "I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why you were saying no to me repeatedly. It tore me apart, Lily…"

XXXXX James's POV XXXXX

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the entrance hall, right after their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL. James walked beside him happily; after all, he knew that he'd aced the exam. He glanced sideways at Peter, who looked worried. James shook his head; Peter was always nervous about exams, and he didn't expect that to change anytime soon.

"Loved it," said Remus briskly. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James with mock concern.

"Think I did," said Remus seriously, and James grinned. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin…"

They all laughed, apart from Peter, who said anxiously, "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail. But I couldn't think what else –"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run around with a werewolf once a month –"

"Keep your voice down," snapped Remus, and James clapped a hand over his mouth and quietened down at once. They made their way out of the Great Hall, towards the lake.

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," said Sirius, and James rolled his eyes. _Trust Padfoot to be arrogant about something trivial like an OWL_ , he thought as Sirius continued, "I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it at least…"

"Me too," said James, not wanting to be outdone. On an impulse, he put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Sirius suspiciously.

"Nicked it," said James casually, looking around him. He grinned happily as he saw a red-haired girl sitting next at the banks of the lake. He started playing with the Snitch, hoping to gain that girl's attention… He allowed it to fly as much as a foot away and seizing it again. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Peter watching him in awe.

They made their way forward stopped in the shade of the beech tree, only a few feet away from the girls sitting on the edge of the lake, and threw themselves down on the grass. James noted that the girls had taken off their socks, and were sitting there with their feet in the water.

Remus had pulled out a book and was reading. Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking bored. James took out the Snitch and resumed playing with it, letting it zoom farther and farther away, almost escaping; but he always grabbed at the last second. Peter was watching him with his mouth open once again, and he cheered every time James made a particularly difficult catch. James was secretly enjoying Peter's admiration, and he kept chancing glances to the lake as he played with the Snitch. To his disappointment, the girls weren't looking in his direction – except one; he noted that it was Marlene. He smiled casually at her, and rumpled his hair up, making it even messier. Marlene nudged the redhead, who didn't respond, much to his dismay.

"Put that away, will you?" said Sirius finally, as he made another fine catch and Peter let out a cheer. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement." Peter turned slightly pink, but James forced a smile. "If it bothers you," he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket, not at all happy that he'd been forced to do so before the redhead had looked at him.

"I'm bored," said Sirius. "Wish it was full moon." James looked at him, startled; didn't he understand the pain Remus went through during his transformations?

" _You_ might," said Remus darkly from behind his book. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me… Here." He held out his book.

Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all," he said dismissively, and James laughed along with him; after what they'd achieved, they ought to know everything there was about Transfiguration. He looked around once again, and felt a rush of loathing as he saw someone familiar.

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," he said quietly. "Look who it is…"

Sirius's head turned. He became very still, _like a dog that has scented a rabbit_ , thought James.

"Excellent," he said softly. " _Snivellus._ "

 _This should be fun_ , thought James viciously. "All right, Snivellus?" he called.

Snape reacted so fast it that was as though he had been expecting an attack: _I think we did that to him_ , thought James proudly, hating that git… Dropping his bag, Snape plunged his hand inside his robes, but by the time his wand was halfway into the air, James had whipped out his own. " _Expelliarmus_ _!_ " he shouted.

Snape's wand flew ten feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter. " _Impedimenta_ _!_ " he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet, halfway through a dive toward his own fallen wand.

James saw that students all around had turned around to watch. Some of them had gotten to their feet and were edging nearer to them. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained. He grinned indulgently at them all before focusing on their target.

Snape lay panting on the ground. James advanced on him, wand up, and he saw Sirius doing the same next to him. He glanced over his shoulders at the water's edge and saw that the girls were paying attention to him at last.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" he asked Snape casually. Sirius snorted. "I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," he said viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."

Several people watching laughed, and Peter sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the Jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.

"You – wait," he panted, staring up at him, and James read the loathing in his arch-enemy's eyes. "You – wait…"

"Wait for what?" said Sirius coldly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?" James laughed derisively.

Snape let out a stream of mixed swearwords and Hexes, but his wand being six feet away, nothing happened. James felt a mixture of anger and distaste. _What did Lily see in this slimy, greasy wanker? Why_ is _she friends with him?_

"Wash out your mouth," he said coolly. " _Scourgify_ _!_ "

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him –

"Leave him ALONE!"

He whipped around, as did Sirius. _She came, as I knew she would_ , thought James happily. _She always stands up for her friends…_ Subconsciously, his free hand jumped to his hair again. There she was, the girl of his dreams, the girl he wanted to go out with, the girl he couldn't stop thinking about… Tall, but still half a head shorter than him… Pretty, with dark red hair and beautiful, almond-shaped green eyes… Eyes that always made his heart melt… Eyes in which he would lose himself every time he looked directly at them… Eyes which were staring at him with great dislike at that moment. "All right, Evans?" he said pleasantly.

"Leave him alone," she repeated angrily, "What's he done to you?"

He considered. Should he go with the truth? He decided that he would. "Well," he said carefully, "It's more the fact that he _exists,_ if you know what I mean…"

Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, Sirius and Peter included, but she didn't. She looked at him disdainfully. "You think you're funny," she said frigidly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone._ "

He bristled at the insult, but checked himself and said instead, "I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." He meant every word of it. If he had the girl of his dreams, he couldn't care less about Snape.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," snapped Lily, and he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Was this really how she thought of him?

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius briskly, and turned back, before yelling, "OI!"

James whipped around but it was too late; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of his face, spattering his robes with blood. He whirled about furiously; pointing his wand at Snape, he thought, ' _Levicorpus!_ ' There was another flash of light, and he saw to his relief and savage pleasure that Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

Many people in the small crowd watching cheered. Sirius and Peter roared with laughter, as did he, but his heart wasn't quite in it. He was still seething over the way she'd insulted him, comparing him with the – the g _iant squid_ , of all things! _She thinks that slimy, dirty creature is better than me – me…_ He shook slightly with anger and a little sadness.

"Let him down!" shouted Lily. He looked at her once, before deciding that obeying her was the more prudent option.

"Certainly," he said; he jerked his wand upward, and thought, ' _Liberacorpus!_ ' Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius shouted, " _Petrificus_ _Totalus_ _!_ " and Snape fell over again at once, completely rigid. James felt a twinge of annoyance at Sirius. _You moron, Padfoot, just when I was about to get into Lily's good books_ , he thought, but he kept his face devoid of any emotion other than amusement. He felt proud of the fact that no one could tell how despondent he was feeling, still not comprehending why she had insulted him like that.

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. He eyed it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," he said earnestly. Not that he'd follow through with it, but he'd been on the receiving end of her hexes before, and it hadn't been what one would call a pleasant experience.

"Take the curse off him, then!" she said angrily.

He sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered, " _Finite!_ " He watched regretfully as Snape struggled to his feet. "There you go," he said, "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape shouted.

James staggered. There was one moment of shock when he forgot his feelings about Lily Evans. The only emotion he felt was hatred – pure, unadulterated hatred directed at the boy standing in front of him. _How dare he_ , James thought furiously. _How dare he call Lily a Mudblood!_

"Fine," Lily said coolly, with a superb show of indifference which didn't fool him the slightest; Snape was her friend, and he was sure that she was feeling utterly crushed at that moment. _She has some nerve_ , he thought grudgingly, admiring her incredible poise; she didn't betray that she was angry and upset even for a single moment as she continued, "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus,_ " she finished, a little viciously. In spite of her aloofness, however, he noticed that her eyes were flashing dangerously, betraying her pretence of coolness.

His heart melted at the sight of her being hurt by Snape's horrible words, and his fury broke. He forgot how she had insulted him momentarily. "Apologize to Evans!" he roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize," Lily shouted at him, and he felt surprised. _Why is she shouting at me? I'm the one trying to get that greasy git to apologize!_ "You're as bad as he is!" she finished.

The words pierced James like a sword. He couldn't _believe_ that she'd compared him to – to _Snape_ , of all people. "What?" he yelped. "I'd _never_ call you a – a you-know-what!" He couldn't even say the word out loud, it was so disgusting.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me _sick_ ," Evans said scornfully in a single breath, as she spat out the last word disdainfully.

Her words washed over him like a tidal wave. He'd never heard so much contempt in her voice before, and he couldn't believe his ears. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him; her words had shocked the very core of his being. He only looked on dumbly as she turned on her heel and hurried away, before finding his voice again.

"Evans!" he shouted after her, "Hey, Evans!"

But she didn't look back. He only looked on stupidly as she made her way back to the castle.

"What is it with her?" he asked Sirius, trying to sound casual, but he knew that he hadn't been able to manage it successfully. Then again, how could he be casual? It had been Lily Evans, sweet, beautiful, smart, adorable Lily Evans, the girl he thought the world of, the girl of his dreams – it had been that very girl who had insulted him _so_ spitefully that he was more than a little shocked. Sure, he could take the insults about his hair and the Snitch, but the giant squid? _She went too far with that one_ , he thought, anger coursing through him. _Too far_ …

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius. The brutal honesty of that statement roused him from his train of thoughts. He was dimly aware of Peter watching him apprehensively, and Remus seemed to have surfaced from his book at last.

"Right," he said furiously, "Right –"

He wheeled around again to find Snape standing exactly where they'd left him. He too seemed to be shocked with what he'd done. Hatred and rage coursed through James once again, and he decided to take it out on the greasy-haired boy standing in front of him. ' _Levicorpus!_ ' he thought again, and with another flash of light, Snape was once again hanging upside down in the air; James quickly Disarmed him once more before he could let himself down.

"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" he asked no one in particular, and when people cheered again, he felt a savage kind of pleasure, until –

"James, that's enough," said a female voice, and he turned around to see Liz standing behind him, her inscrutable face giving nothing away. Mary and Marlene flanked her; the former looked upset, while the latter's eyes were narrowed, and her mouth was set in a thin line – he knew that Marlene shared his contempt of Snape and his disgusting Slytherin cronies.

"But – he called Evans a – a _you-know-what!_ " he shouted out the last three words.

"I know," said Liz calmly, "But you've humiliated him enough. Let him down."

He sighed deeply. _Next time_ , he thought grimly… _Next time_ … He pointed his wand at Snape again and thought, ' _Liberacorpus!_ ' once again and Snape landed in a heap. He was back on his feet instantly, his wand pointed at James, his expression one of mingled fury and hate.

"Go, Snape," commanded Liz, still in that annoyingly calm voice, "Go. Now."

Snape hesitated for a second, before replacing his wand in his pocket. He picked up his bag and stalked away, his face red with anger and humiliation. James replaced his wand in his pocket, taking in deep, calming breaths. Sirius stood next to him quietly.

"Come here, James," said Mary gently, "I'll take care of that gash for you." He hesitated, and she pointed her wand at him and said, " _Episkey!_ " His cheek burned hot before going back to its whole, healthy and unblemished state. He felt it once before smiling at Mary. "Thanks, Mary," he said, and Mary nodded, smiling at him. _She wants to be a Healer_ , thought James. _Well – she'll make a fine one_ …

"All right, everyone, show's over!" Marlene called from behind Liz and Mary, and he watched as the crowd dispersed, chattering excitedly. Liz looked directly at James, and he read anger in her sea-green eyes.

"You went too far today, James," she said, gazing at him steadily. "I think it's a good idea if you, you know, apologise to Lily." Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and started to walk away. Mary gave him a sympathetic smile, and Marlene patted his shoulder gently before following Liz back to the castle.

He just stood there, his mind in a turmoil, until he was dimly aware of Sirius calling him.

"Prongs?"

He looked at his best mate. "What?" he grunted dully.

"Er – we should go to lunch now, you know… The practical exam starts in an –" Sirius checked his watch, "—in an hour! Come on, let's go!" Sirius led the way to the Great Hall, and with a huge sigh, James followed him dispiritedly, with Remus and Peter hurrying along in his wake.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. He dully performed the spells he was asked to perform to perfection, and by the looks of it, all of his friends had done well (he'd seen Peter having trouble with the Impediment Jinx, but with an encouraging smile from him, Peter had been able to cast it successfully), and he returned to the Great Hall for dinner. He found that he'd lost his appetite, and though Peter tried to get him to eat the chicken curry in front of him, he left within ten minutes, his food virtually untouched. He could hear the other three talking in low voices, but he didn't really care; at that moment, James Potter wanted solitude, solitude to mull over his latest failed pursuit of one Lily Evans.

He felt a stab of fury. He was still smarting over her jibe about the giant squid. But James was no fool; he wasn't _nearly_ arrogant enough to believe that it was only about him now. He knew that Snape had insulted Lily, called her a Mudblood in front of the whole school… _That greasy git_ , he thought savagely. _I'm going to hex him into oblivion the next time I see him_.

He could see now, what a tangled web it was. _She's friends with Snape, and he's a certified git,_ he thought scornfully. _I know that from the train on our first day here. But she remained friends with him for so long. And that's why I hate him… What wouldn't I give to be the one sitting next to her, doing homework with her, talking and laughing with her_ …

He stopped suddenly as a thought struck him. Why did he hate that git so much? Was it because he was up to his neck in the Dark Arts? _Well, perhaps_ , said the voice inside his head, _but that's not all, is it?_ He frowned… Snape was (presumably, _had been_ , based on that day's events) one of Lily's best friends… And for that reason, _he_ was jealous of _Snape_ …

The magnitude of this epiphany disoriented him for a few seconds, and he remained rooted to the spot. Snapping out of his reverie, he hurried forward to the common room… He settled himself in his favourite armchair by the fire. He stared in its depth for a few minutes, brooding over his failed attempt of the afternoon and his epiphany about the source of his hatred for Snape. He didn't look up until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"James?"

He wheeled around to see Liz's sea-green eyes stare at him. "Can I sit down?" she asked. He shrugged, not really caring about her question, and she sat down next to him.

"What's on your mind, James?" she asked softly.

"Why do you care, Hunt?" he asked, his tone harsher than he'd meant it to be.

"I care," said Liz, displaying some of her calmness from before, "Because you're my friend, James. And you hardly ate anything tonight at dinner, which is _so_ unlike you. What is it?"

He sighed. "I think you know," he said resignedly. She nodded briefly.

"Yes," she said. "But you never took it to heart before, James. What happened today?"

"I dunno," he said truthfully. "But it was too much. Especially after Snivellus insulted her." He bristled with anger. "I think she just took it out on me."

"That may be true, James," said Liz, still unbelievably calm, "But she didn't mean it. At least, I don't think so. She was probably just vexed because of the way you were treating Snape, and his behaviour, well – his behaviour didn't help at all." She looked at him directly, and underneath that calm exterior, he saw the suppressed rage in her sea-green eyes. "I _told_ her this would happen, but she didn't listen to me," she said softly but vehemently.

He said nothing; there was nothing left to say for him. The girl of his dreams had rejected him, and he was very close to giving up the pursuit, not because it was beneath his ego to continue after such a harsh rejection, but because he couldn't see any chance that she'd want to go out with him after that day's happenings.

"She'll come around, James," said Liz gently, as if reading his mind. She patted his limp arm. "But for that to happen, you need to become someone she would genuinely like. Being popular or good at Quidditch isn't enough."

He simply sat there, mulling over her words. He knew, deep down, that she was right. He only nodded mutely.

The portrait hole opened, and Sirius walked in with Remus and Peter. They directly made their way over to where James and Liz were seated. "Come on, Prongs," said Sirius bracingly. "Let's go to the kitchens, you hardly had any dinner." James shook his head, but Sirius wouldn't back down so easily; he roughly pulled James to his feet. "It'll make you feel better, trust me," he said. James really didn't need too much persuasion, and his stomach gave a huge rumble; he _was_ hungry. He nodded in assent to his best friend, whose face lit up with a grin at once.

"Excellent," he said briskly. "So that's hot chocolate for Wormy, and simple chocolate for Moony, right?" he asked the other Marauders, who nodded happily. He turned to Liz and asked, "And what about you, Hunt? Do you want anything from the kitchens?"

"Some coffee would be great, Blackie," she said to him, and he nodded at once. "Be right back, you lot… See you!" Putting an arm around James's shoulders, Sirius led him to the portrait hole. A minute later, they were walking along the familiar path to the kitchens.

"So," said Sirius, "Knut for your thoughts, Prongs. I know you're still hurting after the afternoon incident."

That simple statement broke James's restraint, and he burst into a furious tirade about Lily Evans. "Who the _hell_ does she think she is?" he exclaimed furiously. "She had no right to say those things to me! Come on – I'm the best damn Chaser in Hogwarts right now, and I'm not so bad with the Snitch either – and come on, Padfoot, with all the pranks we pull, people _like_ us! We're not bad with studies, too – we top most of the classes without studying so much, which indicates immense natural talent – and I know for a _fact_ that I'm charming and good-looking, and half of this school's female population finds me attractive! So why did she compare me with the stupid – dirty – _giant squid_ , of all things?"

Sirius listened to the rant in silence. He let James finish what was on his mind before saying sagely, " _That's_ probably why she doesn't like you, mate. I mean, it's like I said before… Reading between the lines, she certainly thinks you're conceited. You can't expect her to like you just because you're – charming, you know," he said, smiling slightly. "C'mon – you're much more than just charm and talent. You're a really good person, Prongs. Show her the goodness of your heart."

James turned to Sirius. "What do you mean, Padfoot?"

Sirius sighed, and it looked like he was restraining himself from rolling his eyes. "What I mean is, Prongs," he said, "Look at what you've done for your friends, for instance. You were the one who came up with a solution for helping Moony. When we found out about his furry little problem, we didn't abandon him – we probably wouldn't have, anyway, but it was because of you that we didn't, and he respects you for it. You know how grateful he is to be with us all… Don't you know how many people would abandon their friend at the drop of a hat if they found out that he was a werewolf?"

James listened silently. He knew that whatever Sirius was saying was true. Remus was grateful to them all. _Maybe that's why he lets us get away with stuff_ , he thought suddenly. _He feels like he owes it to us – because we didn't distance ourselves from him after finding out what he was!_

Sirius was still talking. "You help Wormy with his work. You have _never, not once_ , lost your patience with Wormy, no matter how thick he can be sometimes. Do you know what happened because of that, Prongs? You made him believe in himself. You made him believe that he could do anything, and you see how well he's doing in school now! Hell, I'd be surprised if he doesn't score an 'O' in Transfiguration! He has always suffered from confidence issues, but he looks up to you – and me and Remus too, I guess – because we accepted him for who he is."

Sirius's voice became more passionate. "You are kind and caring and fiercely loyal to your friends, James. You are magically powerful, but you have never been drawn to the Dark Side. And mostly to me…" he paused, his eyes closed, "You're not just my best friend, Prongs. You're my _brother…_ "

There was an intense sort of look in Sirius's grey eyes. "You overlooked my family's Slytherin heritage and stupid anti-Muggle views," he said softly. "You helped _me_ , someone who didn't share his family's beliefs – realise, that all is not lost, that I still have a place with – with you." Sirius's voice shook slightly. James didn't say anything; just as Sirius had remained silent during his tirade about Lily, he too sensed that he should stay silent till Sirius was done with his monologue.

"You, my friend, are a wonderful human being," said Sirius feelingly. "Whatever you're doing to gain Evans's attention – read, hexing her best friend – though admittedly, it's Snivellus, after all – _stop it_. There has to be another way to get her to like you. Don't give up… She'll see you for what you are on the inside… Not the cocky, arrogant bully she thinks you are right now. Show her that you can be a person she would genuinely like."

There was a long pause as James thought carefully over what his best friend had said; they walked along in silence.

"Liz reckons the same, Padfoot. That's what she said to me earlier," he said finally, and Sirius clapped a hand on his back. "Hunt is smart," he said, nodding. "Look at it this way, Prongs. You've had a number of girls swoon over you, and you're friends with the other girls from our House… But Evans has never been one of them, and that's because she's never gotten to know you."

"She never even gave me a chance!" said James heatedly.

"You never made her _feel_ like giving you a chance, Prongs!" exclaimed Sirius, and James heard a new emotion in his voice – impatience. "Look, she's talented, beautiful, charismatic, and most of all, she's a decent human being," Sirius ploughed on. "She may be a bit uptight and a stickler for the rules, but she always believes in doing what is right – regardless of what other people think. She remained friends with that slimy Snivellus, despite his inclination towards the Dark Arts. She always stood up for him, and we should respect her for it. She has character, mate," said Sirius.

James remained silent, and Sirius continued, "Show her, Prongs, that you're a better person than the arrogant toerag she thinks you are. Be her friend. Stop chasing her like that. Make her see you in a better light. Make her like you by being genuinely likeable. One day, she'll see that you've changed, and she will like you back."

"What if that doesn't work? What if I become her friend, but she never feels the way I feel about her?" asked James, his voice carrying a hint of desperation.

"Well, what do you have to lose, Prongs?" Sirius asked, holding his gaze. "Answer me fairly… Wouldn't you rather have her in your life as a friend than not at all?"

James thought over this for quite some time. _Sirius is right,_ he finally decided. _I want her in my life… If that means trying to be friends with her, so be it… I'll do anything for that girl, even if she doesn't care about me… She's worth the fight._

"I have to apologise to her, don't I?" he asked Sirius finally. Sirius shrugged. "That's your decision, mate," he said. "But if you do it, do it sincerely. Show her that you're capable of being a genuinely nice person. Show her what we – Moony, Wormtail, and myself, that is – already know. And be her friend without expecting that one day she'll go out with you. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be," he finished.

James's face split into a grin for the first time since that afternoon. "You're right, Padfoot," he said. "I think I can be her friend. I'll get over – this – and I _will_ try to be her friend. She's worth the fight," he said softly. Sirius smiled back. "I knew you'd see sense," he said happily. "Now, c'mon – let's go for that food and coffee."

James nodded resolutely, and followed his best mate to the fruit-bowl painting…

XXXXX End of James's POV XXXXX

"And that's that. After talking to Liz and Padfoot, I realised that I'd been acting like a real prick. So – I changed my ways, Lily," said James contritely. "I apologised to you that night, and meant every word of it. I got over my – er, obsession – with you, because that was what had to happen if I wanted to be your friend."

Lily just stared at him, transfixed. _Wow_ , she thought. _He did it all for me. And he did it extremely well, too; he changed his ways, and he became a much better, more likeable person. All for me. He thought I was worth the fight!_

She looked directly into his eyes. She could see all the pain of that day nearly a year ago in his hazel eyes. It struck her how beautiful his eyes were, how passionate, how deep in feeling… She felt herself get lost in those eyes. He didn't break eye contact, and they simply stared into each other's eyes for about half a minute before she dropped her gaze.

"I'm – I'm sorry, James," she said shamefacedly. "I'm sorry about that remark about the giant squid. I didn't mean it, OK? I was annoyed at you and Black for picking on Severus time and again, and at you especially for constantly hounding me to go out with you. I didn't mean it." It seemed important that she had to convey it to him that it had been an angry outburst, nothing else.

"I know you didn't," he said softly, putting a hand over hers, and she felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. "Getting over you was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, Lily," he continued, "But Padfoot was right. I mean, it was an easy choice, see? Because if changing my behaviour would allow me to be friends with you, then so be it… I would rather have you in my life as a friend than not at all."

She said nothing. She was dimly aware that she was staring at him, mesmerized. Beneath his cocky, carefree exterior, he was a genuinely sincere person who was kind, caring and loyal to his friends. And she hadn't seen it for so long…

"I mean, honestly, I don't think I deserve you," he said with a smile that was more of a grimace, and she felt a stab of sympathy as she heard the defeat in his voice. "I mean, you're beautiful, smart, kind and gentle… And I'm – I'm just –"

But what exactly he was, she never found out. In a swift, fluid motion, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. He staggered back in shock, but regained his poise quickly enough, she felt enormously relieved as she felt his arms close around her and pat her head gently. It wasn't the first time she'd hugged him, but this… She was shocked to realise how – how _right_ it felt. They remained locked in their embrace for more than a minute, neither of them wanting to break apart, neither of them wanting it to end… She could feel his heart beating erratically, and she wondered if he could feel the pounding of hers, too… She drew in a deep breath and felt tears sting her eyes. She hadn't known that she'd hurt him so much that day, that he had felt it essential to change himself – _just_ so that he could be her friend. And she appreciated him for it…

"Well, well – what do we have here?"

They broke apart at the sound of the cackling voice, and simultaneously drew their wands, but they were horribly outnumbered. Five hulking figures stood before them, their wands raised. Up close, she realized that they were seventh-year Slytherins. She looked carefully at the tall figures in front of her… Andrew McMahon. Selwyn. Armitage. Hamilton. Rookwood…

"It's Potter," said Rookwood, his mouth twisted into a sneer, "And his Mudblood friend…" The others laughed jeeringly, and she felt a rush of anger. "More like his Mudblood _girlfriend_ ," said Selwyn mockingly, and McMahon guffawed stupidly. She felt James's hand on her shoulder, and he squeezed it once before letting go and saying defiantly, "What are you lot doing here? Don't you have better things to do?"

"Not tonight, Potter," said Rookwood softly. "Not when the Mudbloods roam about freely in this school… Like this pretty one here…" At that, James bristled. "Leave her alone," he said, menace in his voice; he pushed her behind him, facing the Slytherins alone. "To get to her, you have to get through me first," he added roughly, and Lily's mind flashed back to their first year… She was glad that _that_ aspect of his character hadn't changed. His courage – and his chivalry…

But this wasn't the time for him to be chivalrous, not when they were outnumbered five to two. "No," she said firmly, and stepped out from behind him, brandishing the wand at their opponents. Rookwood's eyes glinted maliciously. "All right, have it your way then, Potter," he said softly, "Always so gallant, so brave… _Stupefy!_ "

The Stunner came out of nowhere, but James blocked it with a non-verbal Shield Charm. He slashed his wand once, and Hamilton crumpled backwards, unconscious. " _Confractus!_ " yelled Selwyn, and Lily looked on with horror as James's knees gave away; he had crumpled on the floor. She let out a yell of fury and shouted, " _Globus Ignis!_ " A huge fireball shot from her wand, and while the four boys were momentarily blinded and busy warding off the red-hot sphere, she pointed her wand at James and whispered, " _Sano!_ " She knew that the Bone-Healing Spell had worked because his breathing became easier, and he struggled unsteadily to his feet.

" _Confringo!_ " yelled an uncouth voice, and she dived aside to avoid the Blasting Curse. An explosion behind her shook the corridor, and she marvelled at the Slytherins' stupidity; they had just made sure that help would arrive quickly.

" _Visico!_ " yelled James, and she watched as the jet of yellow light hit McMahon, who fainted immediately, and she was astounded to see James jump to his feet, good as new. "Energy Drain!" he shouted at her, grinning, "Thanks for healing me… Now, let's take care of these bloody bashi-bazouks!" He quickly turned his attention to their opponents; it was now two against three.

"Brace yourself, James," she yelled, and pointing her wand towards the ground, she shouted, " _Terra Motus!_ " The ground beneath them shook, and they all staggered; James remained standing, as did she, but one of the three remaining Death Eaters fell over in a heap. She saw James engage Armitage in a ferocious duel, and she quickly focused on Selwyn, whose expression was one of fury as he pointed his wand at her and yelled, " _Crucio!_ "

It was pain as she'd never felt before – she screamed in anguish, it was as if a thousand white-hot knives were piercing every inch of her body – she felt tears in her eyes; she wanted to die, she just wanted it to be over, she couldn't take it any more –

And as suddenly as it had come, the pain stopped. She lay on the floor, shaking violently, sobbing quietly to herself. She heard James scream furiously, "I _told_ you to leave her alone! _Fulmenus!_ " From a deep yell of pain, it sounded like he'd hit Selwyn, and she closed her eyes as she heard someone fall to the ground. A second later, she felt James's hands shaking her gently. "Lily, are you OK?" he was saying urgently. "Say something, Lily…" The anguish in his voice was terrible to hear, and she tried to reassure him that she was fine… She whimpered softly, and he took her hand and squeezed it… She felt reassured, and closed her eyes again, fighting hard to stay conscious… Neither of them heard anything as two figures stood up and simultaneously yelled, " _Crucio!_ "

"No, Lily!" she heard James shout, and he threw himself on top of her, shielding her from the Cruciatus Curse, and the next moment, he was screaming and yelling in great agony. She felt bile rise to her throat… He had taken a double Cruciatus Curse for her… _For her_ … She was suddenly filled with a blinding, towering rage. The anger helped clear her mind…

" _Flamma Dromonem!"_ she shouted, still lying on the ground, slashing her wand. " _Flamma Dromonem!_ "

She watched as two powerful flames rushed at the Death Eaters with great speed, and their yells of agony told her that she'd caught both of them in their faces. She gently pushed James off of her; he was shaking uncontrollably and seemed barely conscious. She heard Armitage shout, " _Percutio!_ " and James let out another yell of agony and fell backwards; he'd been hit by a jet of sinister blue light; a spell that she had no knowledge of; a spell she was sure was horrible Dark Magic –

She screamed in rage and sprang to her feet; adrenaline was coming to her aid now. Turning to the Slytherins, she shouted, " _Flammunda!_ " The powerful, familiar Fire Wave erupted from her wand once again, stronger than it had ever been, and the Slytherins staggered back helplessly. She held them at bay with the flames that acted as a shield for her and James, just like she'd done nearly a year ago… She could feel them raining spells at it, but it remained firm; she quickly dodged two jets of light that actually got through it, remaining alert for more Unforgivables, racking her brains for a way to attack them back –

She heard distant footsteps behind her. At the same time, one of the Slytherins yelled, "Someone's coming – we need to go! Leave Amycus – it's his own fault he got hit by that Spell!"

 _Amycus?_ thought Lily in confusion. Wasn't McMahon's first name Andrew? Pushing the thought out of her head, she concentrated on the retreating Slytherins instead – she'd worry about their names later. Finally, when the footsteps disappeared, Lily fell to her knees next to James and extinguished the flames coming out of her wand.

"James," she whispered, "Wake up, James…" His broken form lay next to her, and he was barely stirring. His eyes opened a tiny bit and focused on her, and a ghost of a grin appeared on his pale white face as he said, "No sweat, Lily – no sweat…" His eyes closed, and his breathing grew irregular. It seemed like he had fainted.

"No…"

She pointed her wand at him and whispered, " _Consanesco!_ " The Health-Restoration Spell worked, and his breathing became a little easier. She smiled in relief at his prone form. She knew that he would be all right… He just _had_ to, after what he'd gone through, trying to help her… _Her…_

"Miss Evans!"

The stunned voice of Professor McGonagall brought her to her senses. "What happened?" asked the Professor urgently, kneeling down next to her.

"James," she said stupidly, and pitched forward. Everything went black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Author's Note:**

I doubt if I'd have got my three reviews so quickly if anyone had known that this chapter would be a cliffhanger… As it is, I'm yet to start the next chapter, so patience is key now! Cheers and thanks for the quick responses!


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, GoanBookworm, Crookshanks, Pratha, Anna and Tyler'sPrincess. You all rock!

 **Nupurlath** : Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter! To be honest, I wrote like 90% of it more than two years ago (Feb 2016 to be exact, based on the timestamp of my first draft), and thankfully, I didn't have to change much of it. I wrote it purely because I wanted to build the story there, and show James's PoV on the scene where Snape calls Lily a Mudblood. And I guess I always envisioned a duel when James and Lily fight together and protect each other. The last chapter is actually one of my favourites!

 **GoanBookworm** : Thank you so much! You're making me blush, because that is indeed high praise! I always figured that Lily never really hated James, just thought he was too arrogant for his own good. And once she got to know him, it was hard not to like him. In that, though, for her to like him, he has to be a likeable person – and once Sirius made him aware of that, he changed his ways. Plus, before they start dating, Lily and James need to be friends for at least a year in my opinion, so that they could get to know each other well. I'm glad you liked the character development!

 **Crookshanks** : Thank you, and thanks for noticing the little scenes which can be very prominent! And it's my pleasure, for when I started writing, I was doing it for myself – however, not anymore! 😊

 **Pratha** : Haha, quick chapters lead to cliffhangers… I like to keep my readers waiting for more! Here you go!

 **Anna** : Haha, yeah! James is pretty deep in feeling – but he hides it under his brash, arrogant exterior. He's actually one of the best characters in the series – his ideas of honour, chivalry and principles are pretty impressive for his age. I genuinely liked developing him into someone who isn't perfect or one-dimensional – and he's done several things that are shady, haha! Regarding Episkey, I'm pretty sure it is a spell to heal minor to moderate injuries, so yes, it is useless against Sectumsempra.

 **Tyler'sPrincess** : Haha, read on, then!

Hi everyone, here is chapter sixteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Sixteen**

" **Help me – help me!"**

Lily came to, and realised immediately that she was lying prone on the ground, and someone was kneeling next to her. "Miss Evans – Lily –" someone was saying urgently; she registered that it was a female voice. She slowly opened her eyes. It seemed like she was lying on her back, and the person next to her was slowly shaking her awake. She shook her head slightly, and the anguished face of Professor McGonagall came into focus.

"Professor," she mumbled weakly, "Slytherins – seventh-years – attacked – duelled – James – Dark Magic – unconscious –" She closed her eyes tightly. "James – James – got hit – protected me – Cruciatus Curse," she whispered incoherently, and she was surprised to find tears in her eyes. She continued, more strongly, "McMahon – fainted – you can – ask him –" She indicated to her left, and Professor McGonagall followed her hand and looked back at her in confusion. "There's no one there, Miss Evans," she said gently, and Lily's eyes widened; she turned to her left quickly, and understood; McMahon must've woken up while she'd been trying to revive James. "But – he – right here," she said softly, and Professor McGonagall nodded grimly. "We'll take care of them later, but you need to go to the Hospital Wing now, Miss Evans," she said firmly. "Come on…" The teacher helped Lily up, and she rose to her feet unsteadily.

As she stood up, however, she felt dizzy; the corridor spun around her, and she clutched Professor McGonagall's shoulder for support. "There, there – you're going to be fine, Miss Evans," said the teacher soothingly. "Here – I'll take Potter with us…" She raised her wand, and began to Levitate James's prone form ahead of them. They walked along in silence, with Lily only dimly aware of the route they were taking…

"Well done, Miss Evans… You have been very brave," Professor McGonagall said softly as they walked, and Lily could swear that she detected a hint of pride in Professor McGonagall's voice. "Th-Thank you, Professor," she said, feeling a little better, only dimly aware of a silver tabby cat that burst out of Professor McGonagall's wand and turned the corner, out of sight. She opened her mouth to ask the teacher about it, but suddenly felt nauseous; she swallowed tightly, and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as they headed towards the Hospital Wing…

Within a few minutes, she was being helped into a bed by Professor McGonagall, as Madam Pomfrey tended to the still-unconscious James. The teacher gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and said, "I must get to the bottom of this, Miss Evans – Madam Pomfrey will take care of you now." Giving her a rare, reassuring smile, Professor McGonagall walked away, stopping by to exchange a quick word with Madam Pomfrey on the way. Lily sat up slowly, sighing; she was still feeling dizzy and nauseous, and her legs were throbbing painfully. _Must be the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse_ , she thought grimly. _Oh, Selwyn – just you wait… By the time I'm through with you, you're going to go home crying to your Mum_ , she thought savagely.

Madam Pomfrey bustled up to her just then, and handed her a vial of light-blue coloured potion. "Drink up, it'll help," said the Matron, and Lily obeyed… She took a sip of the potion and immediately recognized it as a Calming Draught; the room came into focus sharply, and she felt her heart rate return to its normal, steady pace.

"Better?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes," she said shortly. "Madam Pomfrey – James – how is –?"

At that, the Matron's expression grew serious. "I'm not sure," she said worriedly. "He keeps asking for you, and he doesn't seem to register when I said you were fine… He seems a bit muddled and delirious, see? Do you know what spell was used on him?"

Lily felt her insides stiffen, and her eyes burned with tears. _He was weakened by the Cruciatus Curse meant for me… Then he was hit by that horrible Curse… If he doesn't recover…_ She pushed the terrible thought away, and tried to focus.

"I don't know the spell," she said, frowning, "But the incantation was ' _Percutio_ '. It was a jet of blue light – I used a simple Health-Restoration Spell on him, Madam Pomfrey – ' _Consanesco_ ' – and his breathing became easier –"

Madam Pomfrey looked graver than ever. "Oh dear," she said softly, "That is a terrible, terrible Curse. Mr Potter seems to be drifting in and out of consciousness, and in order to heal from that Curse, the victim needs to be conscious throughout. Let's see…" She wrinkled her forehead thoughtfully, and said, "Miss Evans, you need to keep talking to Mr Potter. Yes – keep him conscious for some time, until I finish treating him… It may be ten to fifteen minutes, and it'll be painful, but you must do everything you can…" Her blue eyes bored intensely into Lily's own, as if trying to make her understand the gravity of the situation. "If he loses consciousness, Miss Evans –" she added grimly, "—he may slip into a coma, and it may be too late!"

At that, Lily sprang from the bed, not caring about the various aches the Cruciatus Curse had left on her body. She couldn't let James die, she just _couldn't_ … He had saved her, and he didn't deserve to die… He just _couldn't_ …

Heart hammering, she sat down in the chair next to him. He was saying weakly, "Lily – she's dead – all my fault – she's dead – I let her down – it's all my fault – I cannot forgive myself –"

She gently took his hand into hers. It was cold and clammy. "James," she said delicately, "I'm here, James…" She paused. "I'm OK, James… You saved me…"

At that, his hazel eyes focused on her again. "L-Lily?" he said uncertainly. She squeezed his hand gently. "Yes, James. I'm fine. But you're not, you're hurt… Madam Pomfrey is going to heal you now; but you need to be conscious… Stay with me… Talk to me, James," she said desperately. Beside her, Madam Pomfrey nodded to her, and begin to mutter an incantation that sounded almost like a song. At once, his body seemed to relax. He bit his lip to keep from screaming.

"It's going to hurt, James, but you'll get better at the end of it," Lily said soothingly. "You're going to be fine, but you must stay with me, James… Do you understand?"

"No… No… It's hurting me… Please stop…" he moaned tiredly. "Need to sleep… Sleep…"

"No, you mustn't... Stay with me, James… Talk to me…" she said, squeezing his hand tightly, urgently… His body seemed to relax again, and he let out a little sigh. She had to keep him talking… "Do you think Black and Liz will last now?" she asked. "I mean, given today's events…"

His eyes focused on her again. "I think so," he whispered. "I mean, Liz was pretty upset, but it looks like whatever Wormy said to Sirius was effective – OWW!" he yelled suddenly. Madam Pomfrey looked stricken, but gave Lily an encouraging nod, indicating her to keep going… "Make it stop – please – _make it stop_ – must sleep," James pleaded, and Lily felt tears stream down her cheeks. She had to keep him talking, she just _had_ to…

"Ssshhh, James… It's going to hurt, but it'll be all right," she said desperately. "Do you trust me?" she asked, looking right into his eyes. He paused, then nodded. "Yes," he said weakly, and she gave him a firm nod. "Then you must stay awake, that's the fastest way you will heal…" she said, with a Herculean effort to keep her voice from quavering. How could she keep him talking? An idea came to her. "Let's see, let's see," she said, "When did you find out about Remus?"

He considered. "Third – third year," he said tiredly. She squeezed his hand yet again, and said, fighting to keep her voice from breaking, "Tell me about it… How did you find out?"

"It's a long story, Lil," he whispered, "I'll tell you tomorrow, OK? I need to sleep…" He closed his eyes, and she shook his shoulder urgently; at that, his eyes snapped open. "No," she said firmly, "I want to know, right now… Tell me, it's not like we have anything else to do, is it?" She forced a smile.

"What is it – 'tell the truth' day?" he responded weakly, and she chuckled. He was coming back – this was the James she recognized… Her friend – the boy with a dry sense of humour that rivalled her own. "Something like that," she said, smiling, "Now, c'mon – talk to me."

At last, he said softly, "Very well… It was like this…"

XXXXX James's POV XXXXX

"So – our first Hogsmeade visit," said James excitedly. "Should be fun, eh?"

The three Marauders (Remus wasn't there) were seated near the window in their dormitory. It was a cool, clear night; several stars were visible, and moon shone brightly.

"Yeah, certainly," agreed Peter. "I haven't tried Butterbeer yet, I really want some…"

James stared at him, incredulous. _He's kidding, right? I mean, Butterbeer notwithstanding, there's only one place to be in Hogsmeade… And that's Zonko's!_

"What about Zonko's?" he asked. Peter shrugged. "I guess that's more of yours and Sirius's cup of tea," he said. James looked bemused. _What kind of mates do I have? Unenthusiastic about Zonko's?_

"Don't be thick, Pete," said Sirius, "Zonko's is the place to be!" James smiled with relief, and Sirius continued, "I just want to get my hands on Dungbombs, Stink Pellets and Hiccough Sweets… Imagine, we could take our pranks to a whole new level!" There was an evil grin on his face, and James clapped a hand on his back. "I knew you were my best mate for a reason!" he said happily.

"It's a pity Remus has to miss out," said Peter. "I mean, he loves the Honeydukes' chocolate… It's like he lives for it! D'you remember how happy he was when Fab gave him some at one of last year's after-Quidditch parties?"

"I know! Hope his Mum's all right," said Sirius thoughtfully. The boys knew about Remus's mother being ill, and James felt a rush of sympathy towards his friend, who went home every month to visit her for a couple of days. He always returned looking tired, gaunt and pale. But something was always off… James couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what.

"Y'know, I don't buy it," he said thoughtfully. "I mean, if his mother was ill, how come _he_ looks ill every time he has to go, and every time he returns here?"

Sirius paused, considering. "You're right," he said finally. "I can't believe I didn't realize that."

"Come off it," said Peter disbelievingly. "Are you saying that Remus is lying to us? He's the most stand-up person we know! He's _always_ honest… I tell you, if he's lying to us, the moon is made of green cheese!" He indicated the full moon outside the window.

James and Sirius looked at Peter, nonplussed. Peter blushed. "It's a Muggle expression," he said defensively. Sirius snorted. "Trust you to think of an expression with cheese in it. Remus and chocolate… You and cheese…" he said wickedly.

Peter said something in response, and Sirius laughed, but James wasn't paying attention. His brain had gone into overdrive, and he suddenly felt a thrill of realization. _Moon… Moon… Remus is absent, and there's a full moon tonight. He was absent last month, at precisely the same time…_ He thought back to their first DADA lesson that year with Professor Walcott. Remus's Boggart had been a white, spherical orb that looked suspiciously like – Could it be –?But how had Dumbledore allowed him to attend Hogwarts? _Unless,_ he thought, his eyes widening, _they took certain precautions – so that meant – Remus really was a – a –_

"What did you say?" he asked Peter suddenly. By the looks of it, he had apparently interrupted a mild argument. "About the cheese?" he added impatiently, "The expression, what was it?"

Peter looked uncertain. "The moon is made of –" he started to say, but James cut him off.

"I've got it!" he said excitedly. He looked around, the dormitory was empty except for the three of them. "Tonight's a full moon – and Remus went home exactly a month ago – and he joined term a day late, remember? He wasn't on the train – besides, he always looks ill every time he comes back here – so what if, what if _Remus_ is the one who is sick? Not his mother?"

Sirius looked at him, nonplussed. "What's that got to do with the full moon?"

"Everything," said James importantly. "Remember our first Defence class this year? Remember what his Boggart became?"

"I remember," Peter piped up, "It was a crystal ball, but like a ball of cheese,"

"Except, it wasn't a crystal ball… It was the full moon," said James triumphantly. Sirius stared at him for a second before suddenly gasping.

"Nah, he can't be –" he said uncertainly, "You don't seriously think he's a – a –?"

"Think about it," said James excitedly, "It all fits! He's ill on days of the full moon, and his Boggart is a full moon as well… It's obvious what the 'illness' is, isn't it?"

"What is it? I don't understand," said Peter. James snorted impatiently and Sirius snapped, "Wake up, Pete… Think about it. What do you think it is?"

Peter looked at them, confused, frowning, thinking… Until at last his face became alight with comprehension. "You don't think – seriously – that Remus, _our_ Remus – is a – a –"

"Yes!" said James and Sirius together, "He's a _werewolf!_ "

"Blimey, that's wicked! One of our best mates is a werewolf!" Sirius added excitedly.

Peter looked apprehensive. "But isn't it dangerous?" he asked, "I mean, he's in a school full of people…"

"Well, he's still Remus," said James, shrugging. "So what if he becomes a werewolf once a month? He's normal – well, _almost…_ "

"Yeah, he is," said Sirius, a little challengingly, as if daring Peter to raise any more objections. Peter shrunk back a little.

"I know that," he said at last, "To me, he'll still be the same Remus who helps me with my Defence homework." Sirius clapped him on the back. "That's the way to look at things, Pete!" he said, and Peter grinned uncertainly.

"So," said James, suddenly businesslike, "How do we tell him that we know about his – er, _furry little problem?_ " Sirius and Peter laughed. "Interesting choice of words, old fellow," said Sirius, and James laughed along with them. _One of his best mates was a werewolf. It was so cool!_

XXXXX End of James's POV XXXXX

"And that's it… That's how we found out about his furry little problem," said James softly, wincing as Madam Pomfrey continued to treat him. Lily noted to her relief that he was sounding more and more like his usual self.

"Wow," she said simply. _I still have to keep him talking_ , she thought… Aloud, she said, "You lot were certainly more perceptive than I thought you were!"

James smiled weakly at her. "Yes," he said, his voice stronger than before, "Yes, we are."

"Y'know, I'm proud of you three," she said, smiling back at him, "For not ditching your friend after you found out about his – er, _furry little problem_ , yeah?"

He smiled slightly. "How could we?" he said feelingly. "He was our _mate!_ "

"I know," she replied, "And I heard about Peter's story too, earlier today…" Noting his confused expression, she explained, "Y'know – about how he was all insecure, and how you and Black put him at ease… How you consider him a good friend, too, and how happy he is to be knowing that…" She didn't know why she was telling him all this, but she just had to go on talking to keep his attention.

"I guess there's more to the Marauders than what meets the eye, Lil," he said lightly, and she was enormously relieved to hear the teasing note in his voice. He continued, with a trace of his trademark crooked grin, "Maybe there'll be a day when we'll start to grow on you."

"You've already grown on me, James," she said, blushing slightly. "After last year, you've changed… You've become much more likeable, that's for sure." She paused. Dare she say it? She decided that she would. "I may even go as far as to call you a close – really close – friend!" she said, her blush deepening.

"I'm glad to hear that, Lily," said James softly. "It makes me happy that it was all worth it."

She couldn't help it. At that moment, she knew that she just _wanted_ to kiss him… In her heart of hearts, she knew that it was wrong; he was going out with Olivia, and one doesn't kiss someone else's boyfriend…

But she couldn't stop it. It was as if she was on auto-pilot… Acting on impulse, she bent lower, and moved closer to him. She closed her eyes, her mouth inches from his –

"The process is over, Miss Evans," said Madam Pomfrey softly from behind her. She jumped slightly; she had almost forgotten about the Matron's presence. She blushed even more, and turned to Madam Pomfrey, who gave no indication that she had interrupted anything. James remained motionless, but Lily's heart lightened considerably as she saw the fleeting, momentary disappointment in his eyes, before it vanished… What did it mean? Did it mean that – that _he'd_ wanted her to kiss him as much as she'd wanted to kiss him?

"Mr Potter is going to be fine," continued Madam Pomfrey, and Lily turned around to find the Matron smiling at her. "Your quick actions to heal him immediately after he was hit by that Curse, and your making sure that he stayed conscious while I treated him, saved his life." Her smile widened, and Lily nodded in acknowledgement, silently resenting the Matron for breaking her moment with him…

"You'll need to stay here for a couple of days, Mr Potter," Madam Pomfrey added to James, and he made a sound of resignation. She gave him a commiserating smile and stood up. "To your bed, Miss Evans – you need to rest now," she said firmly. "You're lucky you had her with you, Mr Potter," she added to James, who grinned. "I know," he said simply, with a glance towards Lily, who blushed once again. Madam Pomfrey gave them both a nod and a smile before walking away to her office. Lily stood up to go to her own bed, but –

"No," James whispered, and gripped her hand tightly. "Stay with me, Lily… At least until I fall asleep, OK?"

She smiled at him. _He needs the comfort of my nearness tonight_ , she thought. Should she try to kiss him again? But she knew she couldn't do it… It would be wrong, and the impulse had passed. She sighed inwardly and said, "Well, if I'm going to sit down, I may as well be comfortable." She pointed her wand at the chair, and whispered, " _Umschaltus Cathedrus!_ " The wooden chair quickly turned to an armchair, and she sat down comfortably on it. "Still can't do it non-verbally, eh?" he asked her shrewdly, and she tapped him on his arm lightly. "Idiot," she said good-naturedly, and squeezed his hand slightly once again.

"Thank you for saving my life," James said sincerely, and she went slightly red. "It's no problem," she said, smiling, "After all, if you'd – y'know – died –" she winced; even the thought of that happening hurt her, "—who would've been around to annoy me?" She smiled mischievously to disguise the pain she felt, and he teased, "Are you flirting with me, Lily Evans? Because, I'm not sure I should respond – after all, we're friends, and I – I have a girlfriend." He looked away, and she laughed insincerely. "Yeah, but who said you can't flirt with your friends?" she asked, and he turned to her once again. She winked and said, "After all, it's good practice for when you want to flirt with Olivia." She grinned a little wickedly.

"Are you saying that I'm a terrible flirt?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows and grinning at her. " _You_ said it – not me," she shot back wickedly, winking at him. "You wound me, Lily Evans!" he said with mock-hurt, and they both laughed.

She sighed again… There was something she still had to say to him. She looked directly into his eyes. "Thank you," she began, "For taking that Curse for me. It was extreme agony, and if I'd been subjected to that again, I would've – I would've died." She shuddered at the memory. Suddenly, she felt James's hand squeeze hers comfortingly. "No, Lil," he said firmly. "You're much tougher than you think you are… And you don't have to thank me. If I had to do it again, I'd still do the same thing." She didn't really have anything to say to that, so she silently stroked the back of his hand. His breathing slowly grew more regular, and he fell asleep two minutes later, a peaceful smile on his face.

She studied his face as he slept. _He still looks so pale, pale as a ghost_ , she thought. _Must be the effects of that Curse…_ She looked at his perfectly-toned body and muscular forearms, his tall and well-built frame, and his messy hair. Her thoughts went back to the night when she'd rubbed dittany on his bare chest, and she finally understood why girls flocked around James Potter; he _was_ attractive… He wasn't drop-dead gorgeous like his best mate Black; _he's a quieter kind of handsome_ , she thought. _And once you get to know him, he a sweetheart, really… I mean, beneath that brash and cocky exterior lies a person with a heart of gold…_ She was surprised with the façade he put up before the world. Why did he do that?

 _I'm finally starting to understand why Marlene, Mary and Liz were always friends with James_ , she thought… _I mean, he is downright decent… He didn't sever ties with Remus because of his lycanthropy – rather, he made sure that he included Remus in his little group, and I respect him for it… Plus, he's always been there for his friends…_ _He may be a bit of an idiot, but he is a good person on the inside… And he made an effort to be friends with me, especially considering how shabbily I had treated him in the past. He apologized for that day – on that day itself…_ She suddenly felt ashamed. _It took me a year to apologize about what I said,_ she thought contritely _. And that too,_ after _hearing that he'd been hurt by it… Why didn't I care to do it sooner? And despite all of that, he remained my friend. He became friends with me without expecting that I'd ever go out with him… He's_ really _been decent to me all year. So why didn't I see what kind of a person he was for so long? Why did I always assume he was an arrogant toerag – with a few shades of good in him?_

She sat there, lost in thought, apparently unaware that she was still holding his hand. _It was Severus_ , she thought angrily… _I believed blindly that Severus was a good person, and that is why my judgement about James was biased… It was obvious which side I had to pick, wasn't it? I know now that it was the wrong side, especially after what happened last year… Why did I let Severus's hatred for James influence my own judgement?_ She shook her head slightly. As much as she could attempt to deny it, Liz had been right… She had let Severus influence her judgement with respect to James, and she'd flown into a rage when her best friend had called her out on it back in their fourth year. _I could've had more time to get to know James,_ she thought sadly. _I could've been friends with him for longer… I wasted so much time!_ Tears leaked from her green eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and thought back to the events of the past few hours.

 _They're searching the castle now,_ she thought. _Maybe they'll go to the Slytherin common room and interrogate the seventh-years…_ Her free hand balled into a fist; she was itching to have a go at them. _Professor McGonagall would want to question us too, in the morning… And where in the world is Dumbledore? Shouldn't he be at the school during these times? He's the bleeding Headmaster,_ she thought, annoyed at the old man.Then she softened… _Hmm… If he's away from school, he must have a good reason for it…_

She thought back to the duel. _What kind of a spell is an Energy Drain? It seems pretty useful; I must get James to teach it to me…_ She remembered with a shudder when he had fallen to the blue light, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks again… She remembered how the anger had calmed her mind, how she had reacted, how she'd been filled with a sense to protect him… How she'd kept the Death Eaters from harming them, by the ever-reliable, unfailing Fire Wave… Would she have reacted the same way if it had been Liz or Marlene instead of James? 'Course she would have… But the sense that she was going to lose him had been extremely strong at that moment… What did it _mean?_

She thought to what they'd been talking about before the duel. She'd hugged him, more out of guilt than anything else… But it had felt so right, so comfortable, _so wonderful_ … She'd felt protected in his embrace, and even now, when he was healed, she'd felt that strange desire to kiss him, despite knowing that he was going out with another girl. And yet, she was sure _he'd_ felt like kissing her, too… What did it all mean? Surely – she didn't have feelings for James Potter, the one person she'd sworn never to go out with in her entire life?

She sighed, exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to sleep in her warm bed, and she made to get up. She tried to remove her hand from his surprisingly firm grip, but he grunted in his sleep, and tightened his hold over her hand. She smiled resignedly; not particularly sorry to be denied of the privilege of sleeping in a warm bed, she settled backwards on the armchair itself, and absently stroked his hand with her thumb, until she drifted off…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily woke up suddenly and jerkily; someone was shaking her awake. "Lily – wake up!" a female voice was saying, and Lily's eyes snapped open to find a white-faced Liz next to her, with Black standing next to James's bed, as though trying to reassure himself that his best friend was all right. She hastily shook her hand free from James's grip, and squinted towards her best friend. "What's going on?" she asked, yawning.

"What happened to you?" Liz asked shrilly, and Lily immediately shushed her; they were in the Hospital Wing, after all. "Not here – c'mon, let's go, I'll explain everything outside," she whispered, and stood up; Liz and Black followed her into the corridor outside. "What happened to you?" Liz asked again, her eyes wide. "Why were you in there – and what happened to James? Is he all right?"

"James – is going to be fine," said Lily, deciding to choose her words carefully. "We were patrolling around when we came across this bunch of Slytherins – pricks, the whole lot of them. James was hit by a Curse – they scarpered after that, and I was trying to heal James – luckily, Professor McGonagall arrived just then, and she got us here. Madam Pomfrey fixed him up – he's resting now." She left out what she'd been talking about with James, and didn't mention that they'd both been hit by the Cruciatus Curse, or the fact that James had protected her from a double Cruciatus Curse; those details could be disclosed later.

"Right, right," said Black, speaking for the first time since getting there. "So – Prongs is going to be OK?" There was palpable relief on his face.

Lily nodded, and asked him curiously, "How did you know we were here?"

Black hesitated for a moment before saying, "Er – we went for a stroll ourselves, and we stopped at the Astronomy tower – we were waiting for you, see?" He gave Liz a sideways half-glance, and she indicated for him to continue. "We knew that you two would pass by eventually – but you never showed. We waited until eleven-thirty, I think… Then we got worried, and set off towards the Hospital Wing –"

"But how did you know we were here?" interrupted Lily swiftly. Black flushed slightly before saying, "Er – there was a chance that someone attacked you – like Snivellus attacked Prongs the other night –"

"C'mon – why couldn't you think we can come out on top in a duel – for once?" Lily asked, feeling slightly insulted. "We're – _I'm_ – not that bad!"

"Would you rather we thought you two were in a broom closet, then?" Black shot back, amusement appearing briefly in his grey eyes. Liz chuckled, and Lily blushed; making a face, she said, "Urgh! Continue, please…"

"Right – anyway, we got here as soon as we could, and I'm glad you're all right – 'coz we have a problem," said Black, speaking quickly, looking grim all of a sudden. Lily frowned in confusion, and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"It's Professor Burke – she's missing," Liz said. "Don't ask how we know – we just _do_ , all right? Something's wrong!"

"Hang on," gasped Lily as cold fear clutched her heart, "I think I know what this is about…" She briefly explained the success of the test batch of the antidote Professor Burke was supposedly developing, based on what Ashley Bond had told her. Black let out of low whistle, and Liz's eyes were round as they listened to Lily's tale. "If that's the reason – she's in danger," she finished, her voice low.

"Dammit – what now? Do we start searching for her ourselves?" Black asked, with the air of a man steeling himself to do something difficult.

There was a pause, following which Liz said slowly, "You know – she's missing, yeah, but maybe we should check out the DADA classroom and her office first to make sure."

"Good idea, that makes sense," said Black immediately, and Lily nodded. "Hang on – we should Disillusion ourselves, just in case," she said, and put thought into action; with a final glance at the Hospital Wing where James lay sleeping, Lily prayed that he would be fine in the morning before setting off briskly towards Professor Burke's office with Liz and Black. Several thoughts ran through her head as she ran; where was the teacher? Had she been kidnapped? Had she – Lily couldn't bear to think about it – had she been taken away in order to be punished for her role in the development of the antidote?

"Here," came Liz's voice ten minutes later, and they came to a halt in front of the teacher's office. Liz lifted their Disillusionment Charms, and raised her wand again. " _Homenum Revelio_ ," she whispered; a second later she said, "Nope – no one's there. She's gone…" Her face was ashen.

There was another pause, following which Lily said, "Er – don't you think this could be a false alarm? Maybe she's gone to visit – I dunno, family?"

Even in her head, that argument sounded weak. Black shook his head and said, "She was here half an hour before she vanished – again, don't ask me how, I'll explain later!" Lily closed her mouth, thinking hard. Finally, she said, "Y'know – maybe there is a clue in here which would point us to her whereabouts. Maybe we can – I dunno – take a look around?" She looked hopefully at the others, who nodded in assent. The classroom door was unlocked, and they began their search in silence.

"Here," said Liz five minutes later, "Look – I found something." She held up a piece of parchment, and Lily noticed excitement in her friend's sea-green eyes. "I know where she is," Liz proclaimed softly, as Lily and Black examined the parchment. There were only three words on that parchment, but Lily understood immediately why Liz was so sure…

" _Ab beloc anglicus_ ," said Black, reading the words aloud. His eyes widened, and he said, "You don't think –?"

"That's exactly what I think, Blackie," said Liz, a triumphant smile on her face. "This parchment – it belongs to the people searching for the sword of Godric Gryffindor! And for some unknown reason, they're also involved with Professor Burke's disappearance… Which leads to only one place where they could be."

"The Forbidden Forest!" Lily and Black exclaimed together, and Liz nodded in agreement. "Precisely," she said, "Which means – _that's_ where we have to go. Blackie, d'you remember the route to that cave where you lot found our original parchment?"

"Yep – I'm sure I do," said Black confidently. "Let's go!"

"Hang on," said Lily, "We need reinforcements – need to warn the Professors –"

"I'll take care of that – we don't have time to look around for any teachers," said Black firmly, and immediately took a quill and a piece of parchment from the bookshelf next to him. He wrote, 'Pete – find McGonagall and come to the cave in the Forest, urgently,' on the parchment, and withdrew another piece of blank parchment from his pocket. He rolled them both together and handed them to Lily, who took them, slightly surprised.

"Now, Evans – can you Banish this to Peter?" asked Black, and Lily nodded. "What if he's asleep, though?" she asked, and Black laughed. "I can fix that," he said, and waved his wand; at once, a little balloon floated in the air in front of them. "Conjuration – impressive, Black," said Lily admiringly, and Black spared her a smile before saying to Liz, "Now, sweetie – fill this with water, will you?"

Liz obliged, and a second later, Black handed the water balloon to Lily. "Send it along with the parchments – that'll wake him up for sure!" he said, and Lily chuckled briefly before performing the Banishing Charm. She watched the Banished objects fly out of sight before a sudden inspiration hit her; a quick Summoning Charm later, she plucked a little bottle from the air, grinning.

"Is that –?" Liz asked her in wonder, and Lily nodded with an air of superiority. "It's Felix Felicis," she said, "Six hours' worth of luck. I figured we may need it –"

"Why only six?" interrupted Black. "I thought Slughorn gave you enough for twelve hours' worth?"

"I'll explain later," said Lily, echoing him as she retrieved an empty goblet from the teacher's table and quickly cleaned it. "Here – two hours for you," she said, pouring a third of the potion from the bottle into the goblet and handing it to Liz, who took it after a moment's hesitation. A second later, she grinned widely at them and said, "Well – what're you two waiting for? Hurry up – we have a missing teacher to rescue!"

Lily exchanged a glance with Black before pouring a third of the potion into the goblet once again. "Your health, Evans," Black said, before draining the goblet in one gulp; Lily followed suit with the bottle. Nothing happened for a few seconds; but then, an exhilarating sense of opportunity ran through her, and her heart felt considerably lighter… She felt that she could do anything, and she couldn't stop herself from beaming at the others. "Feels amazing, doesn't it?" Liz asked her cheerfully, and Lily nodded. "I feel like rescuing Professor Burke is going to be a piece of cake!" she exclaimed, and Black laughed. "Now you know how I feel every day – this doesn't feel very different," he said, winking, and Liz gave him a little punch. "Not the time for arrogance, Blackie," she chided, and Black gave her a winning smile. "Ready for action?" he asked, and Lily and Liz nodded. "I feel like that water balloon is going to wake Peter, and he's going to come with help very soon," she said, a little triumphantly, and Liz laughed. "I know," she said simply, "Now, c'mon – let's go…"

They set off towards the Great Hall, miraculously not running into anyone along the way; then again, at that moment and for the next two hours at least, they were the three luckiest people at Hogwarts. Lily briefly went over a possible battle plan; she wasn't sure who was behind the DADA teacher's disappearance, but she was sure they'd be a tough opponent to defeat, if they'd managed to subdue someone as magically skilled as Professor Burke. And why were these same people searching for the sword? What significance did it have?

Lily wondered if the attack on her and James had been in any way connected to Professor Burke's (probable) abduction. Had the seventh-year Slytherins been lookouts? With an unpleasant lurch near her stomach, she realised that the place they'd been ambushed was only about a hundred feet from the DADA classroom, which was further along that corridor. Had the Slytherins' job been to subdue or distract anyone who came close to the classroom, then? What if someone was kidnapping Professor Burke at the very moment when she and James had been engaged in battle?

"We're at the Forest," said Black, snapping Lily out of her musings as the three of them came to a halt. Black grinned and said, "Normally, I wouldn't have remembered the path – but Felix is telling me that it'll be a cinch! This is amazing, Evans – thank you!" He nodded to Lily appreciatively.

" _Focus_ , Blackie," implored Liz, "C'mon – take us to the cave!"

"Your wish is my command," said Black, mock-curtsying to Liz before scampering off into the Forest. Liz shook her head and followed, while Lily brought up the rear, non-verbally lighting her wand tip as she walked; the moon was almost full that night, but the canopy of trees prevented the moonlight from illuminating their path. They hurried along in silence for a few minutes, until Black came to a sudden halt.

"We're about twenty feet away," he whispered, and Lily realised that they were on the edge of a clearing; she also noted about six hooded figures standing there. One of them, apparently the leader, was talking with animated hand gestures; Lily tried to understand what the person was saying, but they were too far away for her to make anything out.

"Right – any ideas?" Black whispered. "I bet Professor Burke is inside that cave – maybe we can surprise them –"

"I think a direct attack is the way to go," interrupted Liz, and Lily was surprised; it was most unlike her friend to suggest something like that. What was more, she felt a nudge from the Felix Felicis at this point; it seemed like a good idea to her, too. "Me, too," she said shortly, "Or at least, Felix does…"

"Same here," said Black with another grin, "And as you know, the king of chutzpah is standing in front of you –"

"I thought _James_ was the king of chutzpah," Lily said dryly, and Black stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm standing in for him tonight – which makes _me_ the king of chutzpah," he said, and Lily chuckled. "Fine, O mighty one – you take the lead, and tell us what to do," she said, somewhat mockingly.

Black grinned. "Right – here's what we're going to do. Me and Hunt – we attack. Evans, do your Fire Wave thing – run ahead of us, protect us and yourself – and once we're close enough, we can subdue them."

There was a pause, as Lily and Liz looked at each other. "What?" Black asked in confusion, looking from one to the other. Liz gave her a look that suggested, 'go ahead – you say it'; Lily obeyed and said, "Fire, in the Forest? What are you – stupid?"

"Ooh, fair point," said Black, scratching his chin. "Dammit – that neutralizes our major strength, Evans… Can't Felix help us here so that, say, no trees catch fire?"

"I doubt it," said Lily. "We'll have to come up with a different strategy –"

"Or – _I_ could use my Water Torrent to shield you both – and you attack," said Liz. Lily looked at her best friend in surprise, and Liz added, "What? You're not the only one who can do it – I've been practising, and I'm confident that my Torrent can absorb unfriendly spells as efficiently as your Fire Wave!" There was a distinct note of pride in her voice.

"That's my girl," said Black, clapping Liz on the back. "Right – you run forward with your Torrent, and we'll attack from behind… Need something to repel the water that falls on us, though –"

"I'll take care of that," volunteered Lily, and performed the Impervius Charm on them all. Black and Liz gave her approving nods, and Black said to Liz, "Right, sweetie – you can do this. Ready when you are!"

"Here I go, then," said Liz, and took in a deep breath. " _Torrensum!_ " she whispered, and the Water Torrent shot out of her wand; she manipulated it into a sheet and said, "Right – here goes nothing!" She took in another deep breath, and sprinted off directly towards the hooded figures. Lily and Black set off in hot pursuit, wands raised –

The hooded figures seemed to realize a second too late that they were being ambushed. Two of them fell to accurate Stunning Spells before they could even move a muscle, and Lily proceeded to Disarm and Body-Bind one more thug before any of them even started firing Curses back at them. Liz's Torrent did an excellent job to hold the unfriendly Curses at bay, as Lily and Black battled the three remaining figures; two furious minutes later (after dodging a couple of Unforgiveable Curses), only the leader of the hooded figures stood standing, wand raised; the others lay in a heap on the ground.

"Where's Professor Burke?" Black shouted from behind Liz's Water Torrent. The hooded figure moved two steps closer, and suddenly, a powerful gust of Wind blew from its wand, reducing Liz's Torrent to mere droplets; Lily pulled her best friend back as they all stood there, exposed and unsure of what to do.

The hooded figure lowered its hood, and Lily saw the face of someone she'd last seen five years ago in Hogsmeade; it was a tall, beautiful woman with long and lustrous black hair, heavily-lidded brown eyes, and chiselled, aristocratic facial features. "Bellatrix," she whispered, just as Black shouted, "Cousin Bella! Why am I not surprised?"

" _Cousin_ , don't make me laugh," Bellatrix responded, her wand still raised as she approached them slowly. "You're not my cousin anymore – ever since you ran away and started living with blood traitors, Sirius!"

"Best decision I ever made," said Sirius with relish, "My Mum's a horrible old hag, and you're all nutters who think that Voldemort has the right idea, purging the world of Muggle-borns and Muggles!" He laughed derisively as Bellatrix's haughty features registered anger.

"You dare to speak his name? _His name?_ " she said slowly, her eyes narrowed. Lily raised her wand higher; she sensed more danger in Bellatrix's soft voice than when she'd broken Liz's Torrent.

"Yep," said Black, and to his credit, he didn't even turn a hair. He clasped an exhausted Liz closer to himself, and said, "Don't you understand? That evil git only cares about power – he doesn't give a damn about purebloods and Muggle-borns, and you're too blind to see it!"

"Don't you dare talk about the greatest sorcerer in the world like that!" Bellatrix screamed, but didn't strike; her full attention was on Black, and Lily took the opportunity to quickly use the Health-Restoration Spell on Liz. She was relieved when her friend shook herself free from Black and raised her wand as well, pointing it at Bellatrix.

"Where's Professor Burke?" Black asked again. "C'mon – you better tell us, Cousin Bella – reinforcements are on the way, and you're alone!"

Bellatrix paused, and Lily saw a brief flash of uncertainty on her face. Then she frowned and said, "If you want your precious Professor Burke, you'll have to do something for me."

"No deal," said Black firmly, and an insane smile lit up Bellatrix's features. "Fine – then I'll kill her, and you won't be able to do anything about it!" She indicated the cave behind her with her wand, and Lily felt a pang of dread; they'd never figured out how to break the cave's defence, and if Professor Burke was in that cave, they would be powerless to stop Bellatrix from doing the deed. She sighed; there was only one thing they could do…

"What do you want?" she called out, and felt another nudge from Felix Felicis; the potion was telling her that she'd made the right decision, and that she should wait to see it through. Reassured, she continued to glare at Bellatrix, who smiled cruelly. "The Mudblood speaks," she said viciously, and Lily saw Liz bristle from next to her. "Don't call her that!" her best friend snapped, and Bellatrix laughed disdainfully. "Silence!" she said, and with a flick of her wand, Liz went silent.

Bellatrix turned back to Lily and said, "Well, Mudblood – I want the sword of Gryffindor, and there's only one way I can get it. I want _you_ to get it for me – from this." She withdrew an old, pointed hat from her pocket, and Lily gasped; it was the Sorting Hat. "Yes – I know that only a true Gryffindor can pull the sword out of the Hat," said Bellatrix, as if stating the obvious. "You do this, and you can have your precious Professor Burke in exchange for the sword."

"Never!" Black shouted, but Lily shook her head. "I need proof – bring her out here, and I'll do as you say," she said firmly, ignoring gasps from the others; Felix was telling her that this was the correct approach, and she trusted it. Bellatrix paused briefly, thinking; finally, she smiled again and said, "Well, well – looks like the Mudblood has a brain, after all!" She waved her wand, and a few seconds later, Professor Burke walked out of the cave, and stood next to Bellatrix, her face strangely blank. Lily understood immediately that the teacher had been Imperiused.

"No funny business," said Bellatrix threateningly, and proceeded to revive one of her fallen comrades. "Wake the others up, scumbag," she said arrogantly, and walked back to face Lily, Liz and Black. "Right, Mudblood – here's your Professor," she said, "Now – take the Hat, and give me the sword. C'mon – chop chop!" She tossed the Hat to Lily, who nodded slowly.

"Lily – what're you doing?" Liz said softly and incredulously; Lily supposed that Black had lifted the Silencing Charm Bellatrix had placed on her. "Silence!" Bellatrix shouted again, and waved her wand; this time, both Liz and Black stood rigid as statues, unable to move a muscle. "Right – no more interruptions," said Bellatrix briskly, with a smile that lit up her beautiful features, a smile that suggested she was very close to her goal – a smile that would have made her look gorgeous had it not been for the mad glint in her eyes. "And – just to make sure that there's no more hanky-panky, how about I Imperiuse you too, Mudblood?" she added, and raised her wand. Lily drew in a sharp breath; this was more than what she'd bargained for. What was she supposed to do? She'd never had the Imperius Curse used on her before –

Professor Burke suddenly made eye contact with Lily from next to Bellatrix. The teacher's face remained blank, but she stared straight at her – and _winked_. Lily understood immediately; Professor Burke wasn't really Imperiused, she was waiting for an opportunity to strike. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily noted Bellatrix's five comrades make their way towards them slowly, their wands raised. She quickly focused on Bellatrix, just as the latter shouted, " _Imperio!_ "

Lily felt a floating sensation as if every thought and worry had been wiped from her head, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness, quite like Felix Felicis. _Wear the Hat, Mudblood_ , came Bellatrix's voice, and Lily obediently brought it close to her head. Just as she was about to put it on, though, she heard another voice – this time from her own brain. _Why d'you want to do that?_ the voice asked, and Lily felt her forehead wrinkle in confusion. She stood there indecisively until Bellatrix's voice came again… _Put it on, Mudblood – I haven't got all night!_

Felix nudged her at this point, indicating for her to do as Bellatrix commanded… Lily obeyed, and placed the Hat on her head. _Help me – help me!_ she thought desperately… _I need help, I need to get out of this mess…_ She could feel the Imperius Curse weakening, and knew at that moment that she was her own person… She waited, waited for the Hat to do something, anything…

Suddenly, the Hat contracted, as though something was squeezing it – and out of nowhere, something heavy fell onto her head. Shaking off the blow, Lily immediately grabbed the top of the Hat; she pulled it off her head and pulled a shining, gleaming sword from it. It was a beautiful sword; its long, thin blade shone brightly in the moonlight, and its handle glittered with rubies as big as eggs. She stared at it for a few seconds, transfixed.

"Very good, Mudblood!" Bellatrix screamed jubilantly, "Now – toss it over!"

Free of the Imperius Curse, Lily smiled in triumph, and raised her wand. "Make me," she taunted, watching with satisfaction as Bellatrix's smile faltered. They stared at each other for a split second before Bellatrix shouted, " _Accio sword!_ " But Lily was ready for her; she yelled, " _Protego!_ " She felt as if the sword was leaving her hand, but the Shield Charm prevented the Summoning Charm from taking effect. Her face contorted, Bellatrix yelled, "Toss it over – or else I'll kill your precious Professor!"

"I'd like to see you try," came a new voice, and Lily and Bellatrix turned towards Professor Burke, the former triumphantly, the latter shocked. Professor Burke raised a wand (How had she gotten one so fast?), and with two quick strikes, felled two of the five thugs before anyone could even move a muscle. Bellatrix screamed in rage and attacked her, but the teacher was ready; she countered Bellatrix's Curses with a powerful Shield Charm of her own.

Spurred into action, Lily proceeded to lift the Silencing Charms and the Body-Bind Curses on Liz and Black, and not a moment too soon; for the remaining three thugs were sprinting towards her, wands raised. "Look out!" she yelled, and with a swipe of her wand, began to duel with one of the thugs, who kept shooting several Curses at her. Miraculously, everything seemed to miss her, and she fired a quick Stunning Charm that didn't miss. She looked around to see if the others needed any assistance, but they'd overpowered their own opponents, too; she smiled victoriously, understanding immediately that this was probably due to the Felix Felicis…

Her gaze went to an epic duel taking place between Bellatrix and Professor Burke; the trees at the edge of the clearing had several missing branches as Professor Burke easily dodged spell after spell from Bellatrix. The teacher was battling hard, but Bellatrix was holding her own, too; Lily couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration towards the other witch's prodigious skill…

Behind her, Black gave a loud whoop, and Liz shouted, "Reinforcements!" She wheeled around to see Peter hurrying towards them, panting, with Professors McGonagall and Slughorn at his heels, wands raised. She couldn't help it; she whooped, too, and Professor Burke and Bellatrix momentarily glanced at the new arrivals, distracted.

"You're outnumbered, Bellatrix – give up, now!" Lily screamed, but Bellatrix's mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "Not if I can help it, Mudblood!" she spat, and raised her wand. A second later, flames of abnormal size erupted from it with a roaring, billowing noise, and reduced two of the closest trees to soot. "Deal with that!" Bellatrix yelled, and before anyone could move a muscle, she cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself, and vanished from view.

"It's Fiendfyre!" Slughorn shouted, and Liz was spurred into action. " _Torrensum!_ " she yelled, and the powerful Water Torrent erupted from her wand; however, as soon as it came in contact with the flames, it evaporated, and Lily saw dismay on Liz's usually-stoic face. She was horrified, how in the world were they going to stop these terrible flames?

"Stand back!" Professor McGonagall commanded, as the flames surrounded the clearing completely, with them all trapped in the middle. Lily looked on, terrified, as Professors McGonagall, Slughorn and Burke raised their wands and muttered incantations of great complexity; at once, the flames began to reduce in intensity, until after a few minutes, died down completely, leaving behind a clearing that was about three or four times larger than its original size, with piles of ash and soot surrounding it.

Lily let out the breath she'd been holding; beside her, Black and Liz were locked in a passionate embrace. She stared at the Professors as they tied up the five fallen thugs before congregating together, and Slughorn asked, "You all right, dear?"

"Yes – thanks to her," said Professor Burke, pointing at Lily; she blushed as the teacher approached her slowly until she was standing right in front of her. "Please allow me to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Miss Evans – for selflessly providing me with the Felix Felicis. That saved my life," Professor Burke said sincerely.

Giving the teacher an uncertain smile, Lily said, "It's no problem, Professor."

"Good work, Tempest," complimented Professor Slughorn, and Lily wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "Tempest?" she wondered aloud; wasn't Professor Burke's first name Pamela? Professor Burke continued to smile at her, and Lily's mind immediately back to one of the Professor's imperious nods that had seemed quite familiar to her… And now, she understood why.

"Professor Malfoy?" she asked in wonder. The teacher's smile widened.

"That's right," she said with her usual, familiar drawl, "I was wondering when you'd realise that your rude, unfriendly Professor Burke has been me all along…"

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	17. Chapter 17

Thanks for the reviews, JainRidhi, Nupurlath, GoanBookworm, Anna and Pratha. You all rock!

 **JainRidhi** : Thanks! Haha, I like cliffhangers… They always leave the reader wanting more! Sorry about the long wait, I'm kind of busy with work at the moment. Even this chapter took more than a month for me… But then, I'm glad I took that much time, in order to give it justice. And yes, I agree – had the kiss not been interrupted, it would've been a much bigger mess. I hope you like this chapter as well!

 **Nupurlath** : Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter! And yes, I don't think you have to wait very long for Jily to happen – the seeds have firmly been sown, if I may say so myself. Also, I like to be consistent with canon – but there are some details which are original, since it can't just be a copy of JKR's work, right? There will be some parallels! Hope you like this chapter too!

 **GoanBookworm** : Thank you, that means a lot! I feel that all the characters are worth exploring, for they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Besides, I think the character development was easier for me, considering that I had six story years to develop them! Thanks for your patience!

 **Anna** : Haha, I think you're getting confused! I believe all your questions will be answered in this chapter; I have tried to provide feasible explanations for each event that may not make sense. Marauders' map, hmm – spot on! But why/how – read on, and you'll understand! And the Professor who did terrible stuff last time was Professor Walcott (she's actually one of my favourite characters) – back in third year. Professor Malfoy was the DADA teacher in fourth year – the snide, condescending one who gains healthy respect for Lily towards the end of that year. Nah, I don't think you need to read the first part – if you have a question or if you spot inconsistencies, give me a shout-out on the site/in your review! And yeah, I agree that this chapter took a bit longer than usual – but I felt I had to get it just right, and I didn't want to split it into two (for sake of completeness). I hope that I was able to give it the time it deserved, and that it is well worth the wait. Thanks, and please keep reviewing!

 **Pratha** : Haha, yeah, I know – James had to sit this one out, and he's pretty annoyed about it, for sure! As for cliffhangers – I'm not sure. Maybe about two or three per year sounds all right, don't you think?

Hi everyone, here is chapter seventeen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Seventeen**

" **Well – if you do, I suspect that you won't have to wait for too long."**

James sat up in bed, clumsily eating the porridge Madam Pomfrey had placed in front of him. His body still ached due to the Cruciatus Curse of the previous night, and his memories of the duel with the seventh-year Slytherins were vague… He remembered using the Energy Drain Spell, being hit by the Bone-Breaking Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and some other Dark Curse which had caused him to faint… He vaguely remembered waking up in the Hospital Wing, sure that Lily was dead, only to find her at his side and telling him that he was going to be all right…

That was when the memories became vivid. He knew that Madam Pomfrey had healed him, and Lily had sat by his side throughout the painful process… He'd felt himself becoming more and more sentient, with his usual cheer returning as the remnants of the Curse left his body… He remembered telling Lily about Remus's furry little problem, and the admiration in her beautiful emerald-green eyes as she'd listened to his staunch support to their friend…

But that wasn't all he remembered.

He was sure, dead sure, that she'd wanted to kiss him last night. He was just as sure that he'd _wanted_ her to kiss him, so that _he_ could kiss her back… He hadn't been able to hide his disappointment when Madam Pomfrey had interrupted the moment, and he'd seen the very same emotion in Lily's eyes, too… He'd even hoped that she'd try again. But she hadn't…

She'd sat with him until he'd fallen asleep, though. His final memory of the previous night was the warmth and worry in Lily's eyes… But now – now, it was daylight, and he had no idea where she was. Her bed was empty; it didn't look like it had been slept in at all. Where the hell _was_ she?

As if on cue, the door to the Hospital Wing burst open, and Lily came running in, with Sirius, Peter, Remus and Liz at her heels. "Oh, you're awake!" Lily exclaimed as she came to a halt right next to his bed and beamed at him. "How're you feeling?"

James grimaced. "A little sore – but mostly all right," he said. "I'll be better if I get better food than this – Hospital Wing food is the worst!" He shuddered slightly before putting the empty porridge bowl on the table next to him.

"That didn't stop you from eating it, though," observed Liz, a twinkle in her sea-green eyes. James shrugged and said, "C'mon, Hunt – I was hungry!" The others laughed, and Peter pulled half-a-dozen éclairs from his pocket. "Here you go, Prongs – we stopped by at the kitchens after breakfast," he said, grinning as he handed them over to James, who smiled widely. "This man, ladies and gentlemen – is a true hero," he proclaimed, eagerly taking the éclairs from Peter; the fat boy rolled his eyes as the others laughed again. Sirius pulled up a few chairs, and they all sat down, watching James devouring the sweets hungrily. The excitement in the air was palpable as they smiled at him.

"So – what happened?" James asked after finishing his third éclair in record time. "And _where_ in the name of Morgana did you go off to – in the middle of the night?" he added, addressing Lily, frowning. She flushed slightly and said, "Well – a lot of stuff went down last night, James…"

"Yeah, mate – crazy stuff," said Sirius with relish.

"They didn't even tell me the whole tale – said you and I could hear it together," said Remus, shaking his head. He looked ill, and James remembered with a pang that it was a full moon night… He hoped that he'd be out of bed by that evening, so that he could join Sirius and Peter and be by Remus's side that night. "You all right, Moony?" he asked sympathetically, and Remus gave him a terse nod. " _I_ should be asking you that, mate – I'm not the one who took a double Cruciatus Curse last night…" He shuddered, and James stole a quick glance at Lily, who gave him an embarrassed sort of smile. It appeared as if she'd told the others what had transpired last night with them and the Slytherins…

"Bloody Slytherins," James said savagely, shaking his head. "When I see them, they're not going to realise what hit them –"

"Wait – you haven't heard the rest of the story," said Liz. "It wasn't what you think it was –"

"What was it, then?" James asked, his forehead wrinkled.

"That's what we're here to tell you," said Sirius. "In a nutshell – the people trying to harm Professor Burke were the same ones trying to steal Gryffindor's sword." He paused for effect, and James's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected a connection like this… Sirius continued, "We stopped them – but not before discovering that my dear cousin Bella was the main culprit. Then – the Slytherins who attacked you – they weren't who you think they were… Oh, and Professor Burke – she isn't Professor Burke either!"

"Woah – slow down," said James, holding up his hands as he digested all this information, "What're you on about? Your cousin Bellatrix – why did _she_ want the sword? Was it on Voldemort's orders?" He ignored Liz and Peter as they winced at the name. "And what d'you mean – Professor Burke isn't who she is?"

Liz smacked Sirius gently on the head. "Blackie, Blackie – there's a way to tell a story," she said reprovingly. Sirius rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, then – you do it, Agatha Christie!"

" _You_ know Agatha Christie?" Lily asked Sirius, clearly astonished. Sirius shrugged and said, "Well – yeah! I was visiting Ted and Andromeda a few years ago, and Ted's got the entire collection – I was curious, so I borrowed one of his books… _And Then There Were None_ , I think it was – amazing book. You've read it?" he added to Lily, who nodded. "Yep – my cousin Matt, he's got the entire lot, too –"

"Sorry, but who is Agatha Christie?" Liz asked, her eyebrows raised.

"A brilliant Muggle author – also known as the Queen of Crime in the Muggle world," Lily supplied, as Sirius, Remus and Peter nodded in agreement. "She was highly proficient – wrote more than seventy novels, I think –"

"I hate to interrupt," James cut in, "But – aren't you lot forgetting a more – ah, _important_ – story?"

Lily laughed, and Liz said, "Right, right – so, after Blackie and I had made up, we went for a stroll." She blushed slightly. "We went to the kitchens first – neither of us had had dinner, see? Then – we just walked around, careful to Disillusion ourselves, lest we got caught… Anyway, we were at the Astronomy tower when Blackie here decided to stop, to wait for you two –"

"I'm sure it was less of waiting and more of snogging," said James dryly, and was satisfied to see the blush on Liz's face. "Shut up," said Liz in embarrassment, and he laughed. "Tch, tch," said Sirius, "C'mon, Hunt – you should be proud of what you do! For instance… The way you –"

That was how far he got, however, for Liz smacked on the head. Everyone laughed uncontrollably; it was unusual to see the always-unruffled Liz Huntington so discomfited. Ignoring them all, however, Liz ploughed on manfully, "Anyway – Blackie here checked that map of yours to see where you both were –"

"You told them?" James interrupted, amusement changing to mild irritation. His eyes narrowed at Sirius, who had the grace to look abashed; out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Remus staring at Sirius with raised eyebrows, too.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius said apologetically. "But they've sworn that they'll keep it a secret… Haven't you, girls?" he added, giving Liz and Lily beseeching looks. Liz smiled back at him reassuringly, and Lily did her best to look dignified as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about – but any extreme rule-breaking, and I will suddenly gain knowledge about this – er, _map_. We clear?" She gave Sirius a mildly-threatening glare, and he responded quickly, "Yes – crystal." Lily nodded, and Liz laughed, saying, "Don't worry, James – we have no intention of revealing its existence to the Professors."

Still not entirely satisfied, James indicated for Liz to continue. "Right – so, we saw you lot on the fifth floor, and figured that you'd come to the Astronomy tower in about half an hour," she said, "We decided to wait, and got to talking… And time just flew –"

James snorted. "Enough of your euphemisms, Hunt – I know perfectly well what you were doing," he said, winking at her. Peter snickered, and Liz went red. " _Anyway_ ," she said forcefully, "I dunno how long it was, but when we checked the map next, you two were nowhere to be found. And – Professor Burke wasn't on it, either!"

"Woah," said James, "I supposed you'd checked earlier – and she was there?"

"Yep," said Sirius promptly, "Marauder thumb rule – when you're going to stay at one place, out of bounds, after curfew… Make sure to see where the teachers are first." Lily rolled her eyes, and Sirius continued, "We saw Professor Burke pacing about in her office – and next time we checked the map, she'd just vanished!"

"But that wasn't our top priority," said Liz, "We searched frantically for you two – until I saw you in the Hospital Wing. We rushed here at once – when we got here, we saw you in bed, and Lily sleeping in the chair next to you…"

Lily winced; the memory of the previous night was clearly still fresh in her mind. James gave her a reassuring smile, indicating that he was all right… That seemed to put her at ease somewhat, and she smiled back at him in relief.

Liz continued, "Well – we woke Lily up, and the three of us went to check Professor Burke's office." She briefly explained how they'd searched the office for anything that could point to the Professor's disappearance, before finding the torn parchment; she described how they'd taken Felix Felicis and given Peter the task to bring reinforcements ("Thanks for the water balloon, Padfoot," Peter muttered resentfully, much to everyone's amusement) before running off towards the Forest…

Sirius took over at this point, and briefly and proudly described the skirmish in the Forest. He explained how they'd found that Bellatrix had been the one behind the whole thing, and how they'd subdued her associates – then the fact that Bellatrix had made a deal with them: Professor Burke for the sword of Godric Gryffindor. He then paused and glanced at Lily, who sighed.

"I suppose I'd better continue," she said, and Sirius nodded. "Yep – after all, you're the one she used the Imperius Curse on –"

"What?" James interrupted, looking at Lily worriedly. Was he serious? _Well, of course he's Sirius_ , said the voice at the back of his head, but he pushed the overused Sirius-serious joke away… He was suddenly filled with red-hot anger. How dare Bellatrix use the Imperius Curse on Lily? Fear gripped him… What the hell had she made Lily do?

Perhaps his distress was visible on his face, for Lily said, "Hey – easy there, James… Relax! I'm still here, aren't I?"

James nodded and asked urgently, "But – what happened? Why did she use the Imperius Curse?"

Lily sighed and explained how she'd acquiesced to Bellatrix's deal after the latter had commanded her to draw the sword from the Sorting Hat. James listened, eyes wide, as Lily told him how Professor Burke had indicated to her that she wasn't really Imperiused, which had given her confidence… How Felix Felicis had guided most of their movements that night, and how she'd been released from the Imperius Curse as soon as she'd donned the Hat… She told him about how the sword had fallen on her head, and how she'd pulled it out at last, and he gave her an admiring look. "Nicely done – you're a true Gryffindor, aren't you?" he said cheerfully, and she smiled back at him. "According to our House founder – yeah, I suppose I am," she replied, her tone wry.

"Wow," said Remus softly. "So – what did you do next?"

Lily then proceeded to tell them how all of Bellatrix's associates had been subdued one more time, and the incredible duel between Professor Burke and Bellatrix… She described the arrival of Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, and Peter, which had caused Bellatrix to flee, but not before setting the bloody Forest on fire (James gasped). He relaxed when she assured him that the teachers had put it out, but his eyes went wide when she said, "And finally, Professor Burke… She isn't Pamela Burke at all. She's – can you guess?" She paused for dramatic effect, and James shook his head, racking his brains and wondering who in the world could she be…

"She's been Professor Malfoy all along," said Lily, her words coming out in a rush, and James's mouth fell open. "What the – _hell?_ " he asked slowly and uncomprehendingly. "What in the world is _she_ doing here – masquerading as the researcher, Pamela Burke?"

"My question exactly," Lily replied, clearly enjoying herself. "Anyway, Professor McGonagall took us to Dumbledore's office, to understand what was going on…"

XXXXX Lily's POV XXXXX

"I don't understand," said Lily slowly. "Why –?"

Professor Malfoy shook her head and said, "It's a long story – and it must be done justice." She looked around and added, "I, too, am interested in how you figured out that Bellatrix Black wanted the sword… May I?" She indicated the sword, and Lily handed it over; Professor Malfoy examined it admiringly and said, "Remarkable… Goblin-made, of course – repels mundane things such as dust and dirt, and only imbibes what will make it stronger – but I suppose you already know all that?"

Lily nodded, smiling. "Professor Binns mentioned it in class back in my fourth year – he was teaching us about goblin riots, and he spent a few minutes going over how goblins can work metal in a way wizards have been unable to – and how for goblins, the maker of the object is the owner, not the buyer –"

"Seriously?" came Black's voice, as he came into view with his arm around Liz's shoulders. "But if the wizard gives the goblin several mounds of gold for that goblin-made object, shouldn't he be the owner?"

Lily shook her head and said, "Not according to the goblins – they believe that after the wizard dies, the object should be returned to them. The wizard doesn't buy them – he only rents them, apparently."

"That's really weird," said Black, scratching his chin, and Liz elbowed him. "You'd know all that if you paid attention," she said reprovingly, but Black wasn't listening to her; his grey eyes were on the sword of Gryffindor, and he silently asked Professor Malfoy if he could see it. Their ex-DADA teacher handed the sword to him, and he examined it with a wondering gaze; Peter came up to them just then, and gave Lily a thumbs-up and a smile, a gesture which she returned as she mouthed 'thank you' to him. He'd come through for them yet _again_ … For some reason, everyone seemed to underrate how important Peter was to all their adventures ( _Misadventures, more like_ , thought Lily). He usually made sure that help arrived quickly…

"Well – we should go to the Headmaster's office," said Professor McGonagall, joining them all. Behind her, Slughorn was levitating the fallen Death Eaters onto stretchers. "He will want to interrogate these men himself – and see how this sword ties in with Tempest and Bellatrix Black." Her gaze was stern as she surveyed Lily and the others, and she continued, "We can deal with you four being out of bounds later – right now, we have more pressing matters to deal with." She nodded for them all to follow her, and they obeyed.

"Don't worry," Professor Malfoy whispered into Lily's ear as they walked, "Minerva is strict but fair – she's not going to punish you." The corner of Lily's mouth twitched, and she gave Professor Malfoy a sideways glance. "I know," she whispered back, "After all, I'm a Prefect – and I have a responsibility towards the school." Professor Malfoy gave her a little nod and a wink, and Lily smiled back at her as they walked.

Soon, they were all seated in Dumbledore's office, and the five Death Eaters, still unconscious but now unmasked, all lay on stretchers in a corner next to the fireplace. Lily examined their faces but couldn't recognize anyone aside from one man who had a brutish, cruel face; with a jolt, she realised that it was the same goon she'd duelled at the QCL final a year ago in London. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered how he'd overpowered her then. _Well – who's the queen now?_ she thought smugly, having come off better in their skirmish that night. Her pride deflated somewhat as she recalled that Felix Felicis had assisted her, and that she was yet to prove her abilities against seasoned Death Eaters – Bellatrix, for instance.

Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace a few minutes later. He gave them all a nod and a smile, and asked them to wait there before proceeding to levitate the Death Eaters out of his office; the teachers followed him, leaving Lily, Liz, Black and Peter seated in the spacious office.

"Thanks for the water balloon," Peter said huffily, and Lily and the others burst into laughter. "I take it that was your idea, Padfoot?"

"There's doubt?" Liz asked with mock-disbelief, and Lily guffawed again. Peter shook his head and said, "I had a real job stopping Moony from joining us – he wanted to come and help, despite feeling weak and sore all over. I mean, _why?_ "

"Can you blame him?" Lily asked. "For all he knows, we could've been in great danger –"

"Which we _were_ , now that I think about it," said Liz sombrely. "If we hadn't had your lucky potion, Lil – we'd all be dead right now."

"Oh, I dunno," said Black dismissively, "C'mon – we always had the ability, the potion simply enhances it and helps us here and there… Right, Evans?"

"Something like that," said Lily vaguely. "But – it wasn't the smartest idea, running headlong into danger like that… I'm just glad we came out of it unscathed. Oh, and by the way – how did you know we were in the Hospital Wing?" she added, addressing Liz and Black directly and not missing the momentary guilt that flickered in the latter's grey eyes. "Me and James, that is," she amended.

Peter raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Black exchanged a glance with Liz, who nodded encouragingly; that seemed to reassure him. Lily listened with mounting astonishment as Black told her about a map of Hogwarts that the Marauders had created, and its amazing abilities… How had they even got the time to do that? Here she was, barely keeping herself afloat with all the studying she was doing, and these boys were up to all sorts of complicated magic… She shook her head. "So – this map shows the location of everyone inside the castle?" she inquired.

Black nodded proudly. "That wasn't such an easy spell – the Pittachius Spell, wasn't it, Pete?" he replied with a glance at Peter, who nodded in assent. Black shook his head and added, "But – this map isn't infallible, that's what we've realised tonight… Professor Burke has been Professor Malfoy all along, and the map didn't reflect that. It needs more work." Peter nodded in agreement once again, saying, "Yeah – as soon as our exams are over, we should fix it."

Lily simply listened, dumbfounded. It was amazing that the Marauders had created such a powerful magical object, and she could see how useful it had the potential to be… But it was all too likely that the Marauders would just use it for some of their pranks. "Well," she said carefully, "That's – that's a rather nice piece of magic, but if I catch you lot using it to break the rules, I'll confiscate it!"

Black and Peter looked shocked. "Are you mental?" Black asked in disbelief, "Confiscate something this good?"

"Yeah, c'mon, Lily!" Peter exclaimed. "Wasn't it because of the map that Sirius and Liz found you and James so quickly – and you lot were able to save Professor Burke tonight?"

Lily considered. "Well – that's right," she said finally. "But I won't say a word if you lot toe the line – a serious infarction of the rules, however, and I'm taking that map!"

"Define serious," said Black, the corners of his mouth twitching. "As far as I know – it's a pretty relative term –"

Liz laughed, and Lily glared at her; before she could respond, however, the door to Dumbledore's office opened, and the four of them went silent as the Headmaster entered, followed by Professors McGonagall, Slughorn and Burke. They all sat down in armchairs that Dumbledore quickly conjured, and the Headmaster surveyed Lily and the others over his half-moon glasses. "We have been speaking to Miss Lestrange's accomplices," he began, "And we have received some very interesting testimony – but before that, we would like to hear your version of what happened." He looked inquiringly at Lily, who understood the invitation to begin their tale.

She started at the beginning; she talked about how she and James had been attacked by the seventh-year Slytherins, and the Curses they'd been hit with… How James had been cured, how she'd been asleep in the Hospital Wing when Liz and Black had arrived to get her (she carefully avoided mentioning the Marauders' Map, earning herself relieved grins from Black and Peter as a result), and how they'd searched Professor Burke's office, deduced where she'd been taken, and rushed off to the forest after notifying Peter and consuming Felix Felicis… How they'd attacked Bellatrix and her goons before the pulling out the sword from the hat and rescuing Professor Burke…

Dumbledore stopped them at this point, and asked them how they knew that Bellatrix and her henchmen were looking for the sword. Black took over then, explaining how they'd found the cave and the piece of parchment, which Lily and Liz had managed to decode… Dumbledore and the other teachers listened attentively, and Lily could've sworn that there was a proud sort of twinkle in the Headmaster's blue eyes. Her heart felt lighter at once…

"Well," said Dumbledore, "You all have been very busy… I take it Mr Potter and Mr Lupin were involved in this, as well?"

"Yes Sir," Black said cheerfully. Dumbledore nodded and said, "Well – in that case, a hundred points apiece to Gryffindor for the six of you."

Lily and Liz exchanged delighted smiles, as the Headmaster continued, "Well-deserved, too, I might add…"

"Well done," said Professor McGonagall from behind them, and Lily was heartened to hear the note of pride in her voice. She turned around and gave the Transfiguration teacher a quick smile, as Black said, "See, this is what we keep telling you, Professor – we don't just play the fool!"

Professor McGonagall shook her head as Professors Slughorn and Malfoy gave Black indulgent smiles. The latter turned to Lily and said, "You didn't mention the part where you gave me half of your Felix Felicis, Lily –"

"Ah – so _that's_ where half of the potion went!" Black exclaimed, and Lily nodded. She briefly explained leaving half the Felix Felicis in a goblet in the DADA classroom, finishing with how she'd felt that Professor Malfoy needed it more than her…

"That – that was wonderful, Lily," said Slughorn, his voice husky. "I can't think of a more deserving winner of that potion than you – for you truly made excellent use of it. Just for that, stop by at my office tomorrow – and you'll receive a reward!"

"Wow, that's – thank you, Professor!" Lily exclaimed, overwhelmed. "What kind of reward?"

"You'll find out," said Slughorn cryptically, winking at her and smiling genially.

"Indeed – a most selfless and admirable gesture, Miss Evans," said Dumbledore, and Lily couldn't help but grin widely. "For that – twenty points to Gryffindor," the Headmaster added, but Professor Malfoy let out a most uncharacteristic snort. "I think she deserves more than twenty points, Albus," she said, "More like – say, fifty…"

"Well – I suppose we're winning the House Cup once again this year, no contest!" Black exclaimed, and Lily laughed along with Liz and Peter. Dumbledore smiled benignly at them, as Professor Malfoy said, "Well – it _is_ because of you all that I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder now…"

"It's nice to have you back as yourself, Tempest," said Dumbledore, smiling graciously at Professor Malfoy. "I trust you were able to get to the bottom of this?"

Professor Malfoy nodded and said, "That's right – I don't think Bellatrix Black will be bothering us anymore, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded, and Lily looked at him in confusion. What did Professor Malfoy mean? And of course, the main question – what was she doing here, impersonating Pamela Bruke? She stole a sideways glance at Liz, who shrugged; Black and Peter gave her encouraging nods, and she asked the Headmaster, "Er – sorry, Professor – but we're still not sure what's going on here. I mean –" she nodded quickly at Professor Malfoy, "—what's Professor Malfoy doing here, and where is Madam Burke? Does it –" she paused, before continuing, "—have anything to do with the antidote that Madam Burke was rumoured to be developing?"

"Ah," said Dumbledore, smiling at her shrewdly, "Very astute, Miss Evans – pray, tell us, what made you come to such a conclusion?"

Lily took in a deep breath, and explained about her meeting with Ashley Bond earlier that day. "She did say her Dad was all right – and we all assumed, like the rest of the world, that Professor 'Burke' had been successful in brewing the antidote. But –" she gave Professor Malfoy another sideways glance, and the blonde teacher smiled at her somewhat smugly, "—if Professor Burke hasn't been here at all, then – _where_ is she? And _did_ she brew the antidote?"

"That is correct," said Dumbledore, smiling at her. "Right on all counts, Miss Evans… Pamela Burke is at a secret location, and she managed to brew the antidote that managed to cure Miss Bond's father – and hopefully several others, as we will find out soon." He paused, then continued, "She began working on the antidote last summer, but somehow, the news leaked to the Daily Prophet… The rumours didn't help at all, and after she'd been attacked for the second time, I contacted Tempest here." He nodded to Professor Malfoy, who nodded back imperiously. "I asked her if she'd be willing to impersonate Madam Burke, and come back to teach at Hogwarts. I made her aware of the peril she'd be in, since Lord Voldemort's followers would try to abduct or harm her, thinking that she was the researcher developing the antidote to the poison they had so painstakingly obtained and used on several Ministry employees."

"Hold on, Professor," interrupted Liz, "Are you saying that You-Know-Who had nothing to do with this?"

"I suppose I am," said Dumbledore. "Lord Voldemort likes to operate in secret, and spread terror amongst the wizarding world through underhanded tactics and sneak attacks. Several of his followers have similar mindsets, but some of them prefer a more direct approach… That is what makes them all unpredictable." He shook his head, looking old and tired. "This scheme to poison Ministry members and attack Madam Burke, who they thought (and quite rightly so) was the one developing an antidote, doesn't sound like Lord Voldemort to me… It seems to be the brainchild of one of his followers yearning to gain favour with him. It wasn't well-thought-out at all, really…"

"Er – Professor?" said Liz tentatively. "Er – what about the sword? Was that the work of his followers wanting to gain brownie points too –" she made a face, "—or was it You-Know-Who himself who wants the sword?"

Dumbledore gave Liz a benign smile and said, "Once again, Miss Huntington – I can only give you my suspicions."

"I doubt if he needs it for cutting or slicing things," Black said, and that brought smiles out of everyone. "Then again – why in the world would Godric Gryffindor need a sword?" he added, his eyebrows raised.

"As for that, Mr Black – that may be something we would never know," said Dumbledore sagely. "For all we know, Godric Gryffindor may have left behind an artefact of his at Hogwarts, a sentient sword that can respond to an appeal for help…" He gave Lily a shrewd glance as he spoke, and Lily stared back at him in surprise. "How –?" she began, but Dumbledore merely smiled and said, "Ah, Miss Evans – did you think you were the only one to have drawn the sword from the Sorting Hat?"

"Oh – did you do it too, Sir?" Liz asked eagerly. "When –?"

"I'm afraid that's a story for another day, Miss Huntington," said Dumbledore, and Liz nodded, understanding immediately that there were more pressing matters at hand. Turning instead to Professor McGonagall, she said, "Oh, and Professor – what happened to the Slytherin seventh-years who attacked Lily and James? Lily said you were going to go the Slytherin common room…"

Before Professor McGonagall could answer, Lily added quickly, "Had they been Imperiused by Bellatrix's henchmen, Professor? I hardly think they'd use Unforgiveable Curses on their own…"

Black snorted. "I wouldn't put it past them – that lot is _evil_ , Evans. I'd be willing to bet ten Galleons on them becoming Death Eaters soon –"

"Ahh, but the world isn't split between good people and Death Eaters, Mr Black," said Dumbledore sagely, and Black deflated slightly. "As for your question, Miss Evans – I can answer that," the Headmaster continued with a faint smile. "Miss Black's henchmen have been very busy tonight, indeed…" He paused. "They managed to Confund Mr Selwyn from Slytherin House into doing their bidding… He procured hair from his dorm-mates and handed it to them. They used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as students so that they could move around in the castle freely… They attacked the two of you only because you were in the way, proceeding to Stun and abduct Professor Malfoy afterwards… Then they went to the forest, awaiting further instructions –"

"But – how did they get the Sorting Hat? And how did they figure out that the sword could be pulled from the hat only by a true Gryffindor?" Lily asked, wrinkling her forehead.

"I believe that was Miss Black's doing – though I am not sure as to where she found the parchment with the message on it," replied Dumbledore. "As for the Sorting Hat – one of her henchmen simply walked into my office, and took it…" He shook his head. "The password can be guessed if you're patient enough. I have never used Secrecy Sensors in my office – perhaps I should start now."

Lily and the others nodded slowly, taking all this in. Lily frowned, thinking hard… Something was still bothering her, but she couldn't put a finger on it… But there was _something_ that seemed off. She found it odd that the goons would attack her and James, then run back and abduct Professor Malfoy before proceeding towards the Forbidden Forest, all before help arrived for her and James, and before Black and Liz had checked the Marauders' Map to find them (although that last part was feasible, given that Liz and Black were alone at the Astronomy tower). _It doesn't make sense_ , she reasoned to herself… _There's not enough time!_

"Er – Professor?" Black asked, bringing Lily out of her musings. "Was it possible to discern the identities of those goo – er, attackers?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Yes, Mr Black," he said, "I have sent their names to the Auror Department, and they have notified me that they will be sending someone in –" he checked his watch, "—about ten minutes. Before that, Miss Evans," he added to Lily, "I will need your memories of the attack on you and Mr Potter. From them, we will know who it was that used the Cruciatus Curse on you both – I assure you, the perpetrators of that will be the most severely punished."

Lily nodded, and immediately put her wand tip to her temple; a second later, she dragged a silvery-blue memory strand with the tip of her wand, and let it loose inside a flask Dumbledore conjured out of thin air. The Headmaster smiled his thanks, and Lily said, "Professor – would you be speaking to the Slytherin seventh-years, too? The ones whom these Death Eaters impersonated?"

"I have already done that, Miss Evans," came Professor McGonagall's voice from behind her, and she turned around. "Mr Selwyn's memory has been modified – it seems as if Miss Black's accomplices did that after getting what they wanted. He has no recollection of what happened."

Lily nodded, but remained unconvinced. _That's convenient_ , she thought… _But what're the odds that Selwyn wasn't acting of his own free will when he gave the Death Eaters hair for the Polyjuice Potion?_ She still couldn't place what was making her uneasy. Wanting to distract herself, she turned to Professor Malfoy instead, and asked, "Er – Professor? When did you take the Felix Felicis? Was it when you knew they were about to attack you?"

Professor Malfoy smiled. "Yes – that is correct, girl," she said, "It was when my Secrecy Sensors started going haywire – they're able to detect unsavoury characters from ten feet away, see? Anyway, when they started buzzing – which hasn't happened all year, I might add – I knew that something was terribly wrong. I took the Felix Felicis at once, and my mind suddenly became clear – the potion told me that I should just go with the intruders after putting up a token struggle, which I did… I remember a piece of parchment dropping from one man's pocket before they Stunned me and took me away."

"That was the piece we found!" Liz exclaimed. "It gave us a clue of your whereabouts!"

Professor Malfoy smiled. "Yes – Felix Felicis is truly a wonderful little potion. When I came to, I was in the cave, and Bellatrix was gloating about capturing the researcher who had thwarted their grand plan – she Imperiused me, too, but thanks to Felix, she didn't do it well… I was myself within two minutes. When I saw her threatening you three – holding me as bait, too – I knew that it was time to turn the tables on her. You know the rest," she finished, her smile widening.

Lily and the others grinned back at her, and Dumbledore said, "Well, well – an excellent night's work, all of you. We managed to protect Professor Malfoy from danger, and prevented Bellatrix Lestrange from stealing a historically important magical artefact – all thanks to the four of you," he added, smiling at Lily, Liz, Black and Peter. Turning to Professor McGonagall, he said, "Minerva, may I ask you to take these students to their dormitories? They have certainly had an eventful night."

"Of course," said Professor McGonagall, and rose to her feet. Lily and the others followed suit, and they waved goodbye to Dumbledore and the other teachers as they filed out of the office one by one. Professor Malfoy gave Lily a nod and a smile, and Professor Slughorn reminded her to stop by his office the next day; she smiled at them both before following the others out. _Dumbledore was right_ , she thought. _It had certainly been an eventful night…_

XXXXX End of Lily's POV XXXXX

"And that was it," Lily finished, with nods from the others. "We got back at nearly four in the morning and went straight to bed! Dumbledore made an announcement this morning – a brief explanation of why Gryffindor are suddenly leading the House Championship by such a huge margin," she finished dryly, and everyone laughed.

"I wrote a note for Ollie, James," said Liz, and James gave her a little smile of thanks. "I Banished it to her – has she been to see you?"

"No," said James, privately thinking that it was just as well… Last night's almost-kiss with Lily, and the emotions following it, had left his quite confused. What did it all mean? "I'm sure she'll be along soon – she must've stayed up late again, studying," he added to Liz, who was watching him inquiringly. He stole a quick glance towards Lily as he spoke, only to find her staring at him intently. Their eyes met, and she blushed, turning away quickly…

He shook himself slightly and decided to concentrate on the matter at hand for now. "So – wait, let me get this straight," he said, frowning, "Professor Burke is really – Professor Malfoy?"

"Exactly," said Black, smiling at him. "Like Evans said – she's been masquerading as 'Professor' Burke, while the real Pamela Burke was at a secret location, developing an antidote to the poison."

James shook his head. _Dumbledore's brilliant_ , he thought admiringly… _What a great plan!_ He felt hopeful about winning the war for the first time in quite a while. _I'm glad Dumbledore is on_ our _side_ , he thought fervently… Aloud, he said, "Well – eventful night, you lot. And Lily –" he faced her directly, "—why the _hell_ didn't you wake me up? I could've helped!" He couldn't keep the accusation out of his voice. _It's true_ , he said to himself. _I'd have been an asset!_

"Well – you were – you were really hurt, James," Lily replied, her tone gentle and worried. "I mean – that was a terrible spell you were hit with, I don't even know what it does! It – sort of messed up your brain for a while…" She closed her eyes tightly before opening them again, gazing at him intensely. "I talked to you when Madam Pomfrey was healing you, 'coz she said that if you'd fallen asleep during the healing process, you'd –" her eyes suddenly became moist, and her voice dropped to a whisper, "—you'd never have woken up." She turned away from him, blinking back tears.

There was a pause as James digested this. Had the spell really been – _that bad?_ He drew in a sharp breath. Was _that_ why Lily had almost kissed him? She'd just been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, and she'd come close to losing – he closed his eyes – _him_. Had _that_ been what had triggered her reaction?

"You kept that quiet!" Sirius exclaimed, staring at Lily, distracting James from his thoughts. "Who is that piece of rubbish that did this? When I find him, I'm going to –"

"Dumbledore took away the Death Eaters, remember?" interrupted Liz, though her eyes were narrowed. "By the sword of Gryffindor, those goons have to be punished severely for this!" she burst out.

"But – you're OK now, right, James?" Peter asked anxiously. James nodded, and Remus said, "Well – thank goodness for that… How did you keep him awake, Lily?"

There was another silence, following which Lily said softly, "We discussed your – your furry little problem."

Remus flinched, and Lily quickly placed her hand over his. "Don't worry, Remus – everyone here knows. And Marlene, too…"

"Marlene knows?" Remus whispered, his face pale.

"Yes," said Liz calmly. "But look – she didn't reject you, did she? Just goes to show that she doesn't care…"

"The map," said James, changing the subject quickly. "We need to fix the map… Need it to show people using the Polyjuice Potion, or if they're invisible –"

Before Remus could respond to that, however, the Hospital Wing door burst open, and Ollie came running in, her brown hair flying behind her. She came to a halt next to his bed, and James took a closer look at her face – it was white, and her cobalt-blue eyes were round and terrified. "Oh, James!" she managed to choke out. "Oh, no – what happened?"

Liz stood up, and the others slowly followed suit. "We'll see you later, James," she said, and James nodded. Remus and Peter tapped his shoulder gently and began to move towards the door; however, Lily and Sirius looked like they didn't want to leave at all, resulting in Liz grabbing their elbows and gently shepherding them towards the exit. When they were alone, Ollie sank into the chair closest to him, and clasped his hand gently within hers. "What happened?" she asked again, more urgently.

James began to tell her everything – briefly. He glossed over the attack on himself and Lily while they were on her Prefect rounds before giving her the salient features of what the others had been up to while he'd been indisposed. Ollie listened to his tale silently, her face draining of the little colour it had left as he talked. Finally, once he was finished, she leaned over and kissed his cheek gently.

"I'm glad you're OK," she said simply, sniffling a little. He gave her a reassuring sort of smile and gently wiped her tears. "Don't worry – I'll be healthy as a hippogriff come dinnertime," he said, and she gave a wet sort of chuckle. Then her expression grew serious. "I went upstairs and studied most of the night," she whispered. "I must've been awake till three o'clock, at least…" She closed her eyes. "I didn't even see the Forest on fire, the curtains were drawn. Plus – I was even using an Opacity Charm so that my dorm-mates wouldn't be disturbed…" She shook her head. "All this stuff was going down, and I didn't even have a clue! I fell asleep at my table itself – and when I woke up, there was a note from Liz, asking me to come to the Hospital Wing as soon as I could, since you – you were –" She sniffled again, unable to go on.

He squeezed her hand gently. "Hey – I'm all right, aren't I? Don't worry about me – I'm going to be fine!"

"Thank goodness for that," she whispered. A second later, she raised her wand, whispering, " _Accio books._ " James watched silently as two fat books came flying into the Hospital Wing and landed right into her lap. "I can study here," she declared, "I'll keep you company…"

"Er – no, c'mon," protested James. "You can't study sitting here – it'll be distracting! Go to the library!"

"Nah – I'm fine," she said, giving him a small smile. "I'm fine right here – unless there's someone else whose company you'd rather have," she teased.

"No – 'course not!" James exclaimed, a little too exuberantly. "I'm actually glad you're here – but I don't think I'll be good company, really… I may just sleep for a while."

"Good – that way I'll get work done," said Ollie firmly, giving him a little wink. He stuck his tongue out at her before settling back into bed comfortably, staring up at the ceiling…

The truth was – as difficult as it was for him to admit it – there _was_ someone else whose company he'd rather have had right now. But that person wasn't his girlfriend… It was the same redhead he'd chased for over a year, before finally abandoning the pursuit a year ago, vowing to be her friend. Until last night – he'd been sure that he'd gotten over her. But _after_ last night – he wasn't so sure anymore… Regardless of her wanting to kiss him or not, _he'd_ wanted to kiss her…

He sighed, stealing a glance at the beautiful girl sitting next to him, her brow furrowed as she read the thick Herbology textbook. As much as it pained him to admit it, he knew that it was true… It wouldn't be fair to her if he kept stringing her along, trying to figure things out. She would invest herself into him emotionally more and more, and if and when he eventually told her that he wasn't sure if he wanted to be with her, she'd be crushed… Nay, that wasn't what he wanted at all. He pursed his lips as he steeled himself to do the deed.

 _I'm going to have to split up with her._

He _had_ to – there was no choice. If he wasn't in this relationship a hundred percent, it made no sense for them to be together. But he couldn't do it now, not with her OWLs so close – they were potentially career-defining exams, and if he split up with her now, nothing good would come of it. _I shall wait_ , he resolved to himself. _I'll wait till her OWLs are over…_

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James was back on his feet within no time, and with no other mysteries to distract him, he threw himself into preparing for their upcoming exams. Lily's reward from Professor Slughorn, as it turned out, had been another bottle of Felix Felicis – twenty-four-hours' worth this time; James had tried (unsuccessfully) to get her to part with a quarter of it for him, but she wouldn't… She'd told him to earn it, and he'd rolled his eyes and simply stuck his tongue out at her before letting it go. He was itching to try it out after Sirius and the others had done so with excellent results, but she wasn't going to let him do it… I'll brew it myself, he thought, consulting the Advanced Potion-Making textbook; however, he'd abandoned the prospect immediately after realising that the potion looked about three times as complicated as the Widerwille Potion…

James's time with Ollie was getting severely restricted, but he welcomed it – the less time he spent with her with his mind in such a turmoil, the better. He instead opted to revise his subject material with the rest of the Marauders, and often with Lily and Liz, assisting the former with her Transfiguration work occasionally, and discussing how Madam Burke's antidote had worked on everyone who had been affected – it was another victory in the battle against Lord Voldemort. It showed the resilience of the Wizarding world…

Marlene had sought him out the day after he'd gotten out of the Hospital Wing, ranting about how she'd been excluded from their adventure – until he pointed out to her that he hardly saw her anymore, with her spending most of her time with Paul. She bowed her head after that, sitting next to him and shedding a few tears as she told him that she was aware that she'd neglected her friends a bit this year, and vowing to never do so again. He comforted her, telling her that it wasn't a big deal, really – a new, budding relationship took time, and they'd all dated different people that year, which had severely cut the time they'd spent together. She cheered up a little after that, and he marvelled at his consoling abilities… _My, I'm getting good at this_ , he thought smugly. _Drama seems to follow me around this year_ , he'd added to himself wryly…

James breezed through his exams, sure that he'd score top grades in everything except for Potions. The lesser number of subjects made it easier for him to focus on each one, and he was sure that all his friends had done quite well, too – even Peter (the fat boy had exited the Transfiguration classroom grinning uncharacteristically at the end of the exam, telling James proudly that he was sure he'd gotten another 'O'). Personally, he was glad that the exams were over – he was looking forward to going home for the summer, and using magic for the first time outside of Hogwarts…

Ollie's OWLs ended a few days after his, and she immediately threw herself into his arms as he met her outside the Great Hall. He was already carrying half-a-dozen sandwiches from the kitchens, and he suggested that they take a walk along the lake… She acquiesced, and they spent a few minutes eating their sandwiches as they walked idly, with Ollie fretfully telling him that she'd messed up about half the History of Magic OWL. He reassured her at once, telling her how pointless the exam really was, cheering her up to the point that she planted a quick kiss on his cheek…

He sighed. That kiss wasn't quite as magical as it used to be… Now was the time to do the deed, and he steeled himself as he said, "Ollie, I need to talk to you." Her smile faltered slightly at his serious tone, and she indicated towards the beech tree wordlessly; he nodded, and they sat down in its shade, facing each other.

"Ollie," said James, suddenly unsure of how to begin, "I need to tell you something – something I didn't mention before, because of your OWLs. I didn't want to distract you…" She nodded silently, and he began to explain what had actually happened the night he and Lily had been attacked by the disguised Death Eaters. He left nothing out, right from how he'd shielded Lily from the double Cruciatus Curse, to the point where they'd almost kissed each other…

"So," he said trying to be as gentle as possible, "The point is – I don't think us being with each other is a good idea." He closed his eyes for a second. "I'm sorry," he whispered, opening his eyes and meeting her cobalt-blue gaze resolutely. "I'm so sorry…"

There was a long pause as Ollie stared at him stonily, unblinking… He was reminded of a hippogriff's stare, and he gently touched her shoulder. "Please say something," he said delicately. "Anything…"

"So," she said finally as she looked away from him, and he had to give her credit; her voice was steady, and her poise was remarkable. "So – you're saying that you don't know how you feel towards Lily, and while you're conflicted, you think it's unfair to be with me?"

"Something like that," said James, relieved that she wasn't shouting at him. He tried to make eye contact, but she was determinedly staring at the lake. "Ollie," he said again, and she turned to him at last.

"Look," she said with forced calmness, "I understand, all right? I know why you took that terrible Curse for Lily – that's just who you are, isn't it? Your gallantry, your chivalry, your bravery – those are some of the things I've always admired about you. And – I also know that if you had to do it again, you'd do the same thing – wouldn't you?"

"Yes," James said softly. Ollie gave him a little smile before looking away.

"I suppose I always knew," she said, more to herself than to him as she looked towards the lake once again. "But – I liked you too much, and I deliberately shut my eyes and counted on your feelings towards me, and your loyalty. And I wasn't disappointed, was I? Even after Lily split up with Adam – you never showed any interest in her. I was _finally_ willing to believe that you were mine, and mine only – alas, that wasn't meant to be." A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Ollie," James started to say, but she quickly wiped her eyes and said firmly, "Look – if you're telling me that you're not sure about us, that you may still have feelings for someone else – I'm not going to stand in your way –"

"I dunno how I feel!" James exclaimed.

"Whatever," said Ollie, holding up her hands, "What I meant was – I'm too _proud_ to stand in your way. I don't want to be with someone who isn't fully committed to me… I deserve better than that."

"I know," James said slowly. "I _know_ – I'm really, _really_ sorry, Ollie –"

"I know you are," she said, facing him again. Her eyes were gentle, and she patted his arm lightly and said, "You're a good person, James… You had the sense to wait until after my OWLs, and I appreciate that. But – you need to sort out your feelings towards Lily…"

He remained silent, and she continued softly, "D'you still like her? D'you still want to go out with her?"

"I – dunno," James replied truthfully, too confused and conflicted to provide a straight answer. At that, Ollie smiled and said, "Well – if you do, I suspect that you won't have to wait for too long."

"What d'you mean?" James asked at once.

"Figure it out," she responded cryptically, standing up. "See you around, James," she said, and his heart ached with sadness – she was doing a decent job of hiding her emotions, but her cobalt-blue eyes were betraying her anguish.

"Ollie –" he began, but she held up a hand. "Save it," she said, before bending down and smacking him none-too-lightly on his head. "Idiot," she whispered, and James heard a tiny, tiny note of amusement in her voice. The worry in his heart lessened slightly, and he knew in that moment that she would be all right…

"Goodbye," she said softly; turning her heel, she began to make her way towards the castle. James sadly watched her go; he'd loved spending time with her, and they'd shared some great moments together. He almost called out to her, but checked himself… However sad and empty it was making him feel, he wouldn't have been able to be with her when he was so conflicted… He'd done the right thing. So why in the world did it hurt so damn much?

He spotted someone familiar walking in his direction and immediately averted his eyes; he didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, and especially not with _her_. But it was of no use; she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He sighed and looked up at her enquiringly.

"Hey!" greeted Lily, "So – Black and the others sent me to search for you, they're going to play Quidditch in about half an hour…" Her voice trailed off as he shrugged indifferently; even Quidditch wasn't going to raise his spirits. He hoped that she'd leave, but knowing her, the chances of that were as good as Voldemort renouncing violence – to marry, settle down and become a father (he laughed to himself as he visualised that). He wasn't mistaken; sure enough, she sat down next to him, her hand never leaving his shoulder.

"You OK?" she asked him, her voice gentle. "I'm sorry – I know that's a stupid question," she continued quickly, "Olivia nearly bumped into me as I was heading towards you – she looked like she was crying. Did you have another row with her?"

"Er – not exactly," said James, turning to face her at last. Her forehead wrinkled, and she thought for a second before rolling her eyes. "Did you tell her that her friends were boring – again?" she asked with mild exasperation, and he shook his head. "Hmm – then what is it? What happened?" she prodded. "C'mon – it can't be that bad – I'm sure if you just _talked_ to her –"

"We split up, all right?" James cut across her, a little curtly. "We split up…"

He scanned her face carefully, and thought he saw a little flash of excitement in her emerald-green eyes before gave him a sympathetic look. "What happened?" she asked again, but more delicately this time. "C'mon – you can tell me…"

James debated whether he should tell her… After all, she'd been honest with him. She'd told him _exactly_ what had transpired between her and Adam… So, he should return the favour – shouldn't he? _No_ , said the voice in his head. _It can wait… You can't tell Lily why you split up with Ollie, not when you're so confused yourself, not knowing how you feel about her…_

Aloud, he said, "I don't really feel like talking about it, Lily…"

"I understand," she said quickly. "C'mon… Let's go. Come on!" She patted his back gently and stood up. Sighing, James followed suit, and allowed her to lead him back towards the castle… They descended a flight of stairs, and James knew at once that they were in familiar territory. "The kitchens?" he asked, a little incredulously.

Lily smiled. "Yep," she said shortly, and he chuckled. "I'm impressed – it's the sort of thing I'd do," he said, nodding.

"I know," she replied, "'Coz you did exactly that – remember?"

With a flash, he recalled how he'd taken her to the kitchens when she'd been upset about ending things with Adam. He couldn't help grinning, and she grinned back at him. "Thanks," he said sincerely, and she smacked him lightly on the head. "Shut up," she replied, still smiling as they came up to the fruit-bowl painting.

"Can't say I expected this," said James as Lily tickled the pear; within seconds, it transformed into a door handle, and they stepped inside the kitchens. Lily smiled at him and said, "Well – what can I say? You were right, James – you've grown on me." Her grin widened, and he beamed, too; he happily munched the fruitcake which the house-elves handed him, deep in thought as he ate…

Perhaps, someday, he'd be thankful that he did the right thing.

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" _Impossible_ – there _can't_ be any sport more exciting than Quidditch!" James exclaimed passionately as he and Lily loaded their trunks onto the Hogwarts Express. They'd walked a little way ahead of the others, which meant that they were in charge of finding a compartment for everyone else.

"C'mon – you play football!" Lily pointed out as she levitated her trunk onto the rack above. James followed suit and said, "Yeah – but we're talking about watching, not playing! Watching Quidditch is just as exciting as playing it – you've been to Quidditch matches before, you should know that!"

"I do," Lily said patiently, "But, look – all I'm saying is, watching other sports is exciting, too! Take tennis, for instance – I know I'm not very good at it, but it's amazing to watch!"

"I'm sure it is," said James patronizingly.

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Lily challenged, her hands on her hips.

"What gave me away?" James responded dryly, and she rolled her eyes. "Well – I can prove it," she said smugly. "As it happens – I was going to the Wimbledon final this year with my cousin Matt, who got a really good deal on the tickets. But he's unable to make it –"

"Why not?" James asked curiously.

"Well – turns out, he got an offer from the Aston Villa youth team," said Lily. "That's a football team from Birmingham," she amended quickly, interpreting his confused expression correctly. "And – he has a match against the Birmingham City Football Club youth team on the same day. Matt's pretty annoyed, but a chance to play football for a big club is all he's ever dreamed of, so he isn't going to let the opportunity go. He gave me both tickets and told me to do what I liked with them!"

"And using them just to prove your point is the best you could come up with?" James teased.

"Yes," Lily deadpanned. "I asked Liz – but she isn't free that Sunday. I was going to ask my Dad when I got home today –"

"Oh, if you have a plan, I don't want to –" James began, but she cut him off immediately. "It's fine – Dad doesn't really care about tennis. He'd have told me to take a friend…" She blushed slightly before looking away.

James smiled inwardly; it was as if Providence was giving him a golden chance, and he wasn't going to pass it up. "In that case, I'd love to accompany you," he said, and she grinned at him. "Excellent – prepare yourself to be proven wrong," she said briskly, getting up. "I'll see you in a bit – after the Prefects' meeting," she added, and he gave her a little wave. "Later," he said, settling himself next to the window, waiting for the others…

However, Lily paused at the door. "Hey – listen," she said, and he turned to face her. "How're you doing after – the whole thing with Olivia?" she asked gently. "You still haven't told me what happened…"

"I'm fine," James said, giving her a small smile. "It hurt for a while, but I'm better now…"

"Good – I'm glad," she said, returning his smile. "Oh – and there's one more thing." She paused. "Y'know – that whole thing with the Polyjuice Potion – I don't buy it. I feel like we're missing something, but I don't know what…"

James nodded. "I know – I too feel like there's something that doesn't make sense. But I'm unable to put a finger on it…" He'd racked his brains over the past week trying to figure out the reason for his unease, partly because it distracted him from thinking about Ollie, but also because he wanted to get to the bottom of things…

Dumbledore had called them to his office two nights ago, telling them that Professor Malfoy would be gone after this year; her father was ill, and despite their differences, she intended to stay with him until he recovered. The Headmaster also told them that two of the Death Eaters would face trials for using the Cruciatus Curse, while the others would most likely be let off with heavy fines. James had been livid after hearing that, but they couldn't really do anything about it… All five goons came from wealthy pureblood families, and they'd obviously used their influence to obtain lenient punishments…

His anger had been mitigated by some better news, though: not only had Gryffindor won the House Cup again (hardly surprising), but he'd also topped the exams in their year, beating Lily (second) and Roger Hathaway (third); then again, they were taking more subjects than him. Regardless, he'd gloated shamelessly in front of Lily, conveniently ignoring the fact that she'd finished behind him by the narrowest of margins resulting from her 'E' in Ancient Runes.

"I suppose we'll figure it out," said Lily, jolting him out of his musings. He nodded at her, and she gave him a tiny wave before departing. He watched the spot where she'd vanished for a few seconds, thinking… _She'd_ been the one who had asked him to the tennis match. It was a clear indicator that she was fine with spending time alone with him… The thought cheered him up immensely. He still wasn't sure how he felt about her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to do anything until he received a tangible sign that she was interested in him, too. Oh, sure, they'd almost kissed that night – but he attributed it more to the gravity of the situation than any feeling as such. It had, however, been a moment of clarity for him; he knew that he wasn't over her, which is why remaining with Ollie wouldn't have been the right decision…

"Hey – earth to James," came a voice, and he quickly focused on two more people entering the compartment; it was Sirius and Liz. Smiling, he indicated the seats in front of him, and they sat down and engaged him in what was obviously an ongoing conversation between them: Puddlemere United were in the semi-finals of the Quidditch Champions League once again, and faced the Milano Gladiatori, who were the Italian champions. James joined in enthusiastically, countering each and every one of Sirius's points as to why the Gladiatori would emerge victorious…

Peter joined them soon, followed by Remus and Lily, and to general surprise, Marlene and Mary. "Don't look at me like that – Roger and Paul can get by without us," Marlene said in response to Sirius's teasing question, and James laughed. It was an enjoyable afternoon as they all ate several sweets, played Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap, and practised some defensive spells before the train pulled up at King's Cross.

"Well – bye, James," Lily said as they emerged into the Muggle world from the enchanted barrier. Before he could say anything, however, she'd pulled him into a tight embrace; she blushed slightly as she let go, hollering, "I'll write to you!" as she walked away towards her parents, who were chatting with Liz's parents.

"Nicely done," Sirius whispered in his ear, and he turned around at once. "I didn't do anything!" he protested, but Sirius merely grinned a mysterious sort of smile. "On the contrary, James – I think you did enough," said Liz from next to him, an impish grin on her face. "Remember what Blackie told you nearly a year ago? 'Less staring, more talking, and one day she might like you back?'"

"Vaguely," said James, frowning.

"Well – safe to say you've taken my words to heart, mate," said Sirius, grinning even more widely. Liz chuckled before locking lips with Sirius (James rolled his eyes and waved goodbye to Remus instead); giving James a quick hug, she walked away to her parents, but not before turning around one final time and giving him an enormous wink.

"Hunt agrees," Sirius said unnecessarily, waving enthusiastically as he spotted Mr and Mrs Potter. They began to push their trolleys in James's parents' general direction, and Sirius continued, "As I was saying – you're doing great, mate. I think you've shown Lily what the rest of us already know… Mark my words, it's only a matter of time before the two of you start going out." He chortled. "In fact, I'm willing to bet on it…"

"She asked me to a tennis match, Padfoot," said James, and Sirius laughed. "See? I told you!" he exclaimed.

"C'mon – it's _not_ a date," justified James. "At least, I don't think it is…"

"Well – we'll find out soon, won't we?" said Sirius, winking at him.

"I suppose we will," said James, and he couldn't help but grin widely… He was one step closer to the resolution he'd made to himself nearly a year ago.

 _Someday I'm going to marry that girl._

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 **Author's note:**

Well, there you have it, that's sixth year done! Once again, I would like to thank everyone who has followed this story right from the beginning. I am aware that most Lily/James fanfiction stories begin in seventh year, with a quick background at the start; but I felt that building it up right from the beginning would allow me to explore the characters in more depth, and make humanize them as much as I could. Thank you to all my reviewers; your feedback has made me who I am as a writer. I have every intention of taking this story to the very end; it's going to take some time, though, so – stay tuned!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, Anna, Guest and Pratha! Always grateful!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! I'm glad everything is clear now… And unfortunately, I was swamped with work again so this update is a little late, but hope you like it!

 **Anna** : Haha, thanks! I'm glad you liked the end… Based on chronology, the moment you're waiting for should be right around the corner. Stay tuned!

Guest: Haha, thanks! I intend to!

 **Pratha** : Thanks! Yes, I will… I guess everyone's excitement is rubbing off on me, too! I'll try to be quicker with the next update, but no promises. Cheers!

Hi everyone, here is chapter eighteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Eighteen**

" **You're like a coconut."**

"I still can't believe Charlie nutmegged me," grumbled Sirius as he and James trudged back to Potter Mansion one beautiful morning in early July. James chuckled and said, "Well, look – rule of thumb, never face someone with open legs." He gave Sirius a meaningful sort of wink, and the latter burst into laughter; James joined in before saying, "Anyway, jokes apart – he made you look like an idiot." At that, Sirius sobered up again as they entered the wards of James's house. "I _never_ look like an idiot," he countered emphatically, but James only laughed. "There's always a first time, mate," he said, and Sirius gave him a light-hearted smack on the elbow as they entered Potter Mansion.

"Master James, Master Sirius – may I take your shoes?" came a squeaky voice, as Tippy the house-elf Apparated in front of them. James smiled and said, "Nah, that's all right, Tippy – we can take care of –"

"Mistress asked me to, Master James," squeaked Tippy firmly. James sighed and handed his football shoes to the house-elf, who cleaned them immediately with a snap of his fingers. Sirius followed suit, and the two of them began to make their way towards the dining room, eagerly sniffing in the intoxicating odour of freshly-cooked bacon and eggs. "Mmm – I'm hungry," said Sirius, smacking his lips as the dining table came into sight; however, just as they were about to take a seat, Mrs Potter bustled out of the kitchen.

"Now, now – take a bath first, boys," she said reprovingly, ignoring their noises of protest. "No compromises – you stink, like always," she added, wrinkling her nose. "What _is_ it about that game that makes you sweat so much?"

"Running," said James shortly. "Running and sprinting… Plus, you should've been there today, Mum," he added with a grin, "One of the boys there nutmegged Sirius, it was hilarious!" He snickered, and Sirius gave him a light smack on the head. "Ow!" he exclaimed, just as Mrs Potter asked, "What's that? _Nutmegged?_ "

"It means he kicked the ball between Sirius's legs to evade him," James supplied, making sure to stay out of his best friend's reach. "Made him look like a real idiot –"

His legs suddenly lifted off the floor, and the next moment, he was hanging upside-down in the air by his ankle. "Yeah – like _that_ ," said Sirius with satisfaction, his wand drawn. James made a face at him as Mrs Potter shook her head. "Just because you _can_ use magic outside of Hogwarts doesn't mean you _should_ Jinx everyone you meet," she said with mild exasperation, and Sirius laughed. "Let me down, Padfoot!" James exclaimed, and his best friend laughed even harder. "This is a nice addendum to the nutmeg story, then," he said, grinning wickedly.

"Sirius, dear – why don't you check the post and see if your Hogwarts lists have arrived yet?" Mrs Potter interjected, and Sirius grinned at the still upside-down James. "Sure thing, Mrs Potter," he said, and obediently scuttled off. Mrs Potter let James down immediately, and James cursed under his breath, saying, "Wait till I get him –"

"To be fair, he only retaliated," Mrs Potter pointed out, and James sighed. "Fine – take his side," he said, and his Mum laughed. "Now – go and take a bath," she said, and James made another noise of protest. "Please, Mum – I'm hungry! And besides, the food is hot right now – shouldn't it _always_ be eaten hot? If it gets cold, how can we appreciate your cooking? How can –"

"All right, enough," interrupted Mrs Potter sternly, but the amusement in her hazel eyes gave her away. "Fine – just wash your hands, then… And get your friend. I wonder what's taking him so long…"

"You're the best, Mum!" James exclaimed happily, and gave her a sweaty hug (despite her protests) before going to look for Sirius. He found his best friend standing in the living room, apparently reading a letter. "OI – the lists came already?" he asked, raising his eyebrows; surely it wasn't a little early?

Sirius didn't respond, and James wrinkled his forehead. Clearly, something wasn't right – Sirius was standing very still indeed, his back rigid and his shoulders hunched. "Sirius?" he called, but his best friend continued to act as if he hadn't heard him. Concerned, James made his way to him in three quick strides, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The touch seemed to jolt Sirius back into reality. "You all right, mate?" James asked him delicately.

Sirius turned to face him, and James was shocked to see the anguish in his eyes. "No," Sirius said shortly, his voice brittle, "I'm not…" He held up the letter. "Andromeda wrote to me – it's my Uncle Alphard. He's – he's –" He gave a little sniff, and James tightened his grip on Sirius's shoulder. "Is he all right?" he asked softly, almost knowing what the answer would be…

Sirius shook his head. "He's dead," he said softly. "He's dead – died this morning…"

James pulled his friend into a hug immediately and whispered, "God – I'm sorry, Padfoot." Sirius clung to him tightly, but didn't sob or cry… He was strong, and James knew that he loathed showing weakness of any kind; years of neglect and hatred from his parents had toughened him up. He tried to recall what Sirius had said about his Uncle Alphard… He was Sirius's Mum's brother, wasn't he? Sirius had mentioned once or twice over the course of last year that he was going to write to his Uncle, whom he was sure didn't share his Mum's pureblood supremacist elitism…

Sirius drew back, and fiercely wiped his eyes. "Andromeda's asked me to meet her as soon as possible," he said shortly, crumpling the letter into a ball and shoving it into his pocket. He began to walk towards the door, saying, "I'll see you in the evening –"

"Wait!" James exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "What for? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later, mate – time is of the essence," said Sirius. "Make my apologies to your Mum… I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." He gently withdrew his hand from James's grip. "See you in a bit," he said, trying to muster up a smile. James nodded and said, "D'you want me to come with you?"

"Thanks, Prongs – but no," said Sirius, gently but firmly. "This is something I need to do by myself…"

"I understand," said James quickly, nodding again. "Take care, mate – and don't do anything stupid!"

Sirius snorted. "You have my word," he replied, and with a little wave, he stepped out of the door before closing it behind him. James stood rooted to the spot, trying to fathom why Andromeda wanted to see Sirius _so_ urgently… He hoped that everything was all right.

"For someone who wanted his breakfast hot, you're taking awfully long to get Sirius, Jamie," came Mrs Potter's voice as she stepped into the living room. "That's strange – where's Sirius?" she added, and James turned around to face her. "He's gone to Andromeda's house," he said, "Y'know – Andromeda, his cousin who was disinherited?"

"Yes, I'm aware," his Mum said, frowning, "Is everything all right?"

James shook his head and indicated to his mother that he'd explain over breakfast. He briefly explained what had happened as they ate, and Mrs Potter nodded sympathetically as she listened. "I do hope that poor boy is all right," she said gently, "He hasn't exactly had an easy life –"

"Because of his parents?" James asked, and his Mum nodded. "Your home, James – it should be the place where you feel happy, safe and at peace. Unfortunately for Sirius, that hasn't been the case… In fact, I'd say he feels more at home when he's at Hogwarts –"

"And _here_ , too," interjected James firmly. "He likes it here, he's said so several times."

Mrs Potter smiled. "I'm glad he does," she said simply, and James smiled at her before going back to his food.

Throughout the day, James did his homework, re-read a Tintin comic, and attempted to work out a new Quidditch strategy… But he couldn't distract himself from wondering where Sirius was, and whether he was all right. Finally, in the evening, he Floo-called Peter and Remus, who hadn't heard from Sirius either… He sombrely told them what had happened, and they assured him that if Sirius contacted either of them, they'd let him, James, know. He felt a little better after talking to his friends, but there was another person he wanted to talk to, and he wondered if he should…

He shook his head. He couldn't Floo-call Lily; her house wasn't connected to the Floo network… He debated whether he should just Apparate to her house – he did know her address, after all – but he decided against it. He didn't want to show up unannounced like that, _just_ because he was worried about his best friend. Nah, maybe he'd be better off Floo-calling Liz or Marlene…

He decided to give it another hour before trying to contact either of the girls. Sirius had taken Andromeda's letter with him, so there was no hope of finding out her address from it ( _The stupid git_ , thought James exasperatedly). The wait was killing him – he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Sirius didn't have his twin mirror on him, either – meaning that, effectively, there was no way of getting in touch with him…

Finally, just as James was getting ready to Floo-call Marlene, he heard a knock on the front door. He rushed to open it at once, and was intensely relieved to see an exhausted-looking Sirius stumble inside. "You've been gone for ages!" he exclaimed in annoyance, as Sirius let out a huge sigh of tiredness. "We've been worried sick –"

"Sssshhh, James – let him catch his breath," said Mrs Potter, who had evidently arrived after hearing the knock; she waved her wand, and a goblet of water appeared in front of Sirius, who drank it gratefully. He threw himself onto the sofa and said, "Prongs – you're not going to _believe_ the day I've had…"

"What happened?" James asked immediately, but Mrs Potter interrupted him. "Sirius – go and take a bath first, then join us for dinner. You'll feel better after a bath – trust me, darling." Sirius gave her a small smile before obediently going off; James helped his mother set the table as they waited for his best friend. Finally, Sirius joined them in the dining room, and helped himself to a generous portion of the chicken fried rice. Tucking in with great gusto, he said happily, "Delicious as always, Mrs Potter!"

"All right – tell us what happened!" James exclaimed, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

Sirius sighed and nibbled at his chicken as Mrs Potter said, "That'll do, son… Sirius, dear – I'm so, _so_ sorry for your loss…"

"Thank you, Mrs Potter," said Sirius sincerely. "To be honest, I didn't know Uncle Alphard all that well… I hadn't spoken with him for years, until last year, that is." He paused. "Maybe I should start at the beginning…"

"Yes please," said James, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"Very well," said Sirius. "You see – after I'd run away from home, I wrote to Andromeda… I told her everything that had happened, and how I couldn't take it anymore. You remember I'd gone to her house late last summer?" James nodded, and Sirius continued, "Well – she told me then that Uncle Alphard had reached out to her after she'd been disinherited, though she wasn't _technically_ a blood relative of his… He'd told her then that she'd done the right thing, and they'd remained in touch. On those lines, she advised me to send him a letter, seeing if he had any words of wisdom for me… And that's how I was sporadically in touch with him all throughout last year." He paused. "In my family, aside from Andromeda, he is – _was_ – the only person I respected…" A faraway look came into his grey eyes. "In his last letter – well, let's just say I didn't think he'd be gone so soon…"

Mrs Potter patted Sirius's arm sympathetically, and James said, "So – Andromeda told you?"

"Yep," said Sirius slowly. "That's what she wrote to me this morning – have to give her credit, her hand was really steady. I Apparated immediately to her house, and met her and Ted. Andromeda was distraught, but she was holding her nerve… She told me that the Ministry had sent her a letter as the next of kin – not the best way to find out that someone's passed away, is it?" he added, and James and Mrs Potter nodded solemnly. Sirius continued, "Anyway – that itself came as a surprise, but I suppose you can alter the person to be contacted in case of emergency. As it turns out, Uncle Alphard –" he closed his eyes tightly, "—died peacefully in his sleep. His house-elf found him unresponsive early this morning, and alerted the Ministry – Healers came at once, but they were too late. The Ministry then notified Andromeda, and she wrote to me immediately… She told me she'd tried to contact me by Floo, but she couldn't get through. She couldn't Apparate, either, since didn't know Potter Mansion's exact location – so, she sent me an owl, praying that I'd arrive soon."

"For his last rites?" James asked gently, and Sirius nodded. "Andromeda and Ted made all the arrangements… Finally, at around noon, after the funeral, a Ministry official came to Andromeda's house. He said that Uncle Alphard had left a will, and that our presence was requested at Gringotts… We Apparated there at once, and a couple of goblins ushered us into the chamber off the hallway. And that's when they told us…"

"What?" prodded James, as Mrs Potter listened silently.

Sirius closed his eyes again. "Uncle Alphard, he left us – me and Andromeda, that is – an inheritance. Quite a large one, at that… Under the terms of his will, his estate was divvied up into two equal halves, for me and Andromeda – also, the goblins were instructed to open individual vaults in our names, and deposit the gold there…"

"Gold?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yep," said Sirius. "You see – Uncle Alphard was rather rich. He'd offered to help Andromeda out earlier, but she's a proud one, Andromeda is… She'd politely declined at the time, but as it turns out, he left her half his estate anyway…" He paused again before continuing, "After all the formalities, paperwork, and paying off Uncle Alphard's debts – there weren't many of those to begin with, really – I've got a sum a little north of _five hundred thousand Galleons_ waiting in my very own Gringotts vault."

James and his mother simply stared at Sirius. "You're joking," said James finally, unable to believe it. "You can't be serious!"

"Well – who am I, then – Father Christmas?" said Sirius with a straight face, and James snorted. "So – you're telling me – that as of this afternoon you've got a small fortune under your name at Gringotts?" he asked in wonder.

"Yep," said Sirius, regaining a little bit of his usual cheer. Turning to Mrs Potter, he said, "I cannot express my gratitude to you, Mrs Potter – and Mr Potter, too. You were there for me, you came through for me when I needed someone to help me – and that, _that_ counts more than anything else." He paused, then stood up and hugged Mrs Potter. "You were more of a mother to my than my own mother ever was," he whispered thickly.

"You're my son, Sirius – just like James," Mrs Potter whispered back, and James saw her eyes glisten with tears. Sirius drew back and said, "Anyway – I'm going to be out of your hair first thing in the morning. I even found a place in Diagon Alley – the rent's affordable, it's connected to the Floo network, and it's only a little distance yards from the Leaky Cauldron. I liked it – Andromeda even said she could give me a hand to set it up, but I told her I could handle it. I have help," he added, winking at James, who grinned at him.

"Sirius – you can stay here as long as you want," said Mrs Potter, raising her eyebrows. "I mean, there's no need to waste your inheritance on a flat – especially when you don't need to. This – is your _home_." She smiled at him gently. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're not imposing yourself on us?"

"I appreciate that, Mrs Potter – I really do," said Sirius earnestly. "But – I think it's time I started learning to be independent. And anyway – it's only a question of two months, I'll be at Hogwarts within no time. And – I'll visit, obviously!"

Mrs Potter laughed. "I know," she said simply.

"Mate…" said James, before going silent. How could he even express it? Here was his best friend, with whom he'd spent his best times at Hogwarts and at home – who had just come into a large sum of money. James could understand why Sirius wanted to be independent so badly; he'd been living in an unfriendly environment for a long time before he'd run away to his, James's, house… He was sure that Sirius wanted a taste of the freedom and self-reliance that living on his own would offer. He wants to be the one to make the rules, he thought… As much as he'd made himself at home at Potter Mansion, James knew that in Sirius's head, it would never be his home. Nay, his home would be a place that was truly his…

"Prongs – I know this is all a little sudden, mate," said Sirius, jolting James out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry –"

"Don't worry about it," said James quickly, before a slow smile spread across his face. "Besides, think about it – how marvellous it would be to have a place of your own, a place where we could come and go as we please! My word – it can be our new base!"

"A base for what?" Mrs Potter asked curiously.

"D'you really want to know, Mum?" James asked with a mischievous grin, and Mrs Potter shook her head. "Forget I asked," she said, before going back to her rice with a smile on her face. Sirius then began to describe the entire process in more detail, and they sat there long after they'd finished eating.

"Anyway, after I clean the plates – I'll start packing," said Sirius finally. "Late night for Mr Potter, then?" he added to James's Mum, who nodded. "He said he'd be lucky to be home by two o'clock," she said, shaking her head. "They're running him ragged…"

"Ah, he'll be fine – he's Dad," said James reassuringly. Mrs Potter nodded and stood up. "Sirius, dear – do you need help with packing your trunk?"

"No, thank you, Mrs Potter," said Sirius politely. "My trunk is anyway half-packed – I never really unpack during the holidays, it's a habit. Shouldn't take me more than fifteen minutes…"

"Hmm – well, in any case, you're not going to leave before breakfast," said Mrs Potter firmly. Sirius nodded and said, "Thank you, Mrs Potter… For everything." His head was bowed.

"Don't mention it, son," said Mrs Potter with a kind smile. "Now go – pack."

"After the plates," said Sirius, and waved his wand; a stack of dirty vessels and plates followed him into the kitchen, leaving James alone with his Mum. "Won't be the same without him here," said Mrs Potter, and James nodded. "Still, I think he's right – he needs this, Mum. He needs to be on his own – independent… Make the rules for a change, see?"

"I understand," said Mrs Potter, with a slight smile. "Help him pack, will you?"

"On it," said James, and giving his Mum a quick kiss on the cheek, he shot off upstairs to Sirius's room. He paused at the door; the room was surprisingly neat and clean, quite unlike the state of his bed and table at Hogwarts… _I was right_ , he thought with an inward sigh. _Sirius still doesn't think Potter Mansion as his home… Well, I hope he'll be happier now, living on his own…_

James waved his wand; Sirius's trunk burst open, and he began to levitate all of Sirius's possessions into his trunk. He was just finishing up when the latter arrived, and said, "Woah, you didn't need to do that, mate –"

"I was helping," said James, turning to face his best friend. "Won't be the same here without you, Padfoot," he said honestly, "But I understand… I know you need this."

"I do," affirmed Sirius. "I knew you'd understand, Prongs… You're the only one who really understands me – aside from Liz, obviously…"

"Given her the good news yet?" James asked with a wink. Sirius grinned and said, "Nah – I figured I'd surprise her – I'll Floo call her in the morning, and ask her to get everyone to Diagon Alley… That's when I can surprise her, see?"

"Her – and everyone else, I presume," said James, nodding. Then he slapped his forehead. "Dammit – I was supposed to tell Moony and the Worm that you've returned! They're going to kill me!"

"Allow me," said Sirius, holding up a hand. "And while I'm at it, I can tell them to come to Diagon Alley, too…"

"All right, then," said James. "I'll see you in the morning… Been a long day." He yawned hugely, and Sirius smiled. "Sure – night-night, Jamie." He sniggered and walked out of his room; James stuck his tongue out at Sirius's retreating back before walking towards his own room. He couldn't help but remember how Sirius had flown into his room in the middle of the night nearly a year ago, shaking and distraught… _I hope he'll be happier at his new house_ , thought James. _He needs this…_

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"C'mon, Blackie – at least tell us why we're here, when the booklists haven't even arrived yet!" Liz exclaimed as they all walked through the archway leading into Diagon Alley. Sirius grinned and said, "Nah – then what's the fun? It's supposed to be a surprise!"

"Oh, you're so annoying!" Liz exclaimed, shaking her head, much to James's amusement. Liz's well-known calmness wasn't quite visible as she tried to figure out the 'surprise'… "Patience, Lizzie, patience," said Sirius soothingly, and Liz proceeded to give him a light-hearted smack on his arm before holding his hand and falling into step with him.

"You know what the surprise is, don't you?" said a female voice, and James grinned; despite himself, despite his recent split from Ollie and the reasons for it, he was ecstatic to see Lily again, so soon after they'd parted at the end of term. "Yep," he said, grinning at her, and she rolled her eyes. Beside her, Marlene said, "And I presume that the rest of you know as well?" She looked at Remus and Peter as she spoke, and the pair of them gave her mysterious grins. "Sirius is right – if we tell you, we'll ruin it," said Remus, miming taping his mouth with imaginary Sellotape.

"Oh, c'mon – the suspense is killing me!" exclaimed another girl, and James grinned at Mary MacDonald. "We're nearly there," he said, "Won't be long, now…" He scanned his surroundings as he spoke; they'd already passed Quality Quidditch Supplies, Flourish and Blott's, and Eeylops Owl Emporium. "I think," he amended, reminding himself that even he didn't know the exact location of Sirius's new flat.

Almost on cue, Sirius and Liz stopped in front of a building with 'Number 64' written on it, about twenty yards away from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. "Here we are," he said, and opened the main door; they all followed him up two flights of steps before he came to a stop in front of flat no. 10. Much to the others' astonishment, Sirius drew his wand and whispered, " _Alohomora!_ " The door swung open to reveal a bright one-bedroom flat, complete with a moderately-sized kitchen and even a little balcony. James could see a little passageway which presumably led to the bedroom, and he took in the surroundings with interest; the flat certainly looked cosy. He could see it as a future hangout spot for them all…

"Welcome – to _la casa de Sirius Black_ ," said Sirius, grinning from ear-to-ear. James grinned too, silently observing the girls who were looking around in wonder. Finally, Liz said, "What the – I mean, is this your – how –?"

"I think we all want to know the same thing," Lily interjected, her eyebrows raised. "I thought you were living with James, Black!"

"There's a story behind that, Evans – but now isn't the time," said Sirius, grinning. "The reason I called you all here – aside from showing you my new bachelor pad, that is – is that you all have the honour of helping me set things up!"

"So – we're your _slave labour_?" Remus asked dryly, and Sirius laughed. "Not if I offer to buy everyone lunch, you aren't," he replied, and Remus nodded with satisfaction. "Better," he said, and Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

"For that, I'm in," Peter said eagerly, to on one's surprise "What d'you need me to do?"

Sirius clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit, Pete," he said happily. "Now – how about this? We divvy up the important tasks between ourselves – like furniture, kitchenware, and getting my trunk from James's. That's right," he added with relish, "Bringing it right now would've been a dead giveaway."

"So – essentially, divide and conquer," said Lily, and Sirius nodded. "Call it that if you like," he said. "Now – who wants to do what? Prongs – you can get my trunk." James nodded, grinning, as Peter protested, "That's the easiest task!"

"Hey, hey – you're going to have to earn your lunch, Pete," said Sirius, waggling his index finger at the fat boy, who grimaced. "Tell you what – how about you and Moony go to that new furniture shop that's opened near Ollivander's? _Supellex_ , I think it was – anyway, you can get the sofa, a dining table, chairs, a study table, a bed – and while you're at it, a couple of armchairs would be nice, too. You know what, you're going to need some help – Marlene, Mary, would you go with them?"

"Sure," said Marlene, and Mary nodded. "We can handle it," said Remus, "C'mon, a simple Banishing Charm will do the trick!"

"That's not the help I'm referring to," said Sirius, grinning mischievously. "Nah – I think the girls, particularly Mary here, would be more adept at getting everything I want – that is as _beautiful_ as it is useful, don't you think?" Mary chuckled and nodded at the compliment, while James chuckled at Remus's mock-mutinous expression.

"So – you're going for aesthetics," said Liz, frowning. "That'll be a tad expensive, Blackie –"

"Yeah, that's fine," said Sirius dismissively. "I have money…" And with that, he withdrew a little pouch from his pocket. "Here you go, Moony – two hundred Galleons, that ought to cover it."

"Where did you get that kind of money?" Liz asked curiously, raising her eyebrows, and Sirius laughed. "Like I said, Lizzie – patience!" He winked at her, and she shook her head. Remus waved the pouch and said, "Well – looks like we have everything we need. C'mon, girls…" Waving to them once, he exited the flat, with Peter, Marlene and Mary in his wake.

"Right, Liz, Evans," said Sirius briskly, "I suppose I can trust your tastes with the bedroom and bathroom stuff? Bedsheets, a mattress, pillows, floor-mats and anything else you can think of." He withdrew a second pouch from his pocket and handed it to Liz. "Wow – you came prepared," said Liz, examining the pouch in wonder before placing it in the pocket of her jeans. "Yep," said Sirius cheerfully, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Just – get what you want," he said, and she nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "See you in a bit, then," she said; Lily nodded from next to her, and the pair of them exited the flat as well.

"I'll see you in a bit, too," said James, moving towards the door, but Sirius stopped him. "Let's try the fireplace, mate – you have your special Floo powder on you, right?" James nodded and said, "I _always_ carry it around, mate… And you're right, we should check to see if the fireplace works." He drew his wand, pointed it at the fireplace and said, " _Incendio._ " Flames began to crackle almost immediately, and James threw a pinch of Floo powder into them before stepping into the fireplace as they glowed emerald-green. "Potter Mansion!" he shouted, and ignored the familiar, dizzying spin as he passed a whirl of fireplaces before stepping out of his own. He Summoned Sirius's trunk to him and was back at Sirius's apartment within ten seconds.

"That was quick," said Sirius admiringly, and opened his trunk. He and James began to arrange the stuff from the trunk into the bedroom; they were nearly finished when a little package arrived at the flat, followed by several others. "Furniture's here," said James with a grin, and proceeded to lift the Shrinking Charms on the packages before unwrapping them; they revealed a black sofa with soft cushions, an ornate sort of dining table with similarly beautiful chairs, two comfortable armchairs, and a four-poster bed. "See – that's why I had Mary go with them," said Sirius, surveying the table admiringly. He and James then proceeded to arrange everything into its proper place as the arrival of new boxes filled with kitchenware, bedsheets, blankets, pillows, and other odds and ends ensured their continued effort. After about an hour, James and Sirius surveyed their handiwork admiringly; the flat, previously bright but bare, now resembled a luxurious (albeit small) penthouse.

"Nice," said Sirius happily. "That's what I was talking about – la casa de Sirius Black."

"It looks spiffing, doesn't it?" James added with a wide grin, and Sirius clapped him on the back. "You said it, mate!" he exclaimed happily, just as someone knocked on the door; Liz and Lily entered, and surveyed the flat with an appreciative gaze. "Looks like home," said Liz cheerfully, and Sirius grinned before giving her a quick kiss. "Feels like home, too," he whispered, and James was glad to hear the pleased note in his best friend's voice.

The others arrived soon, and after a quick tour of the newly-furnished flat, they went to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, where Sirius proceeded to tell the girls the entire tale of how he'd come into so much money. The girls offered their condolences at his news before asking him several questions and expressing awe at his inheritance. Finally, they stopped by at Florean Fortescue's for ice cream (making Sirius pay for that, too) before going back to the flat. They spent a lazy sort of day there, and Lily and Mary had fun cooking some delicious lasagne for them all come dinnertime. Peter brought another round of sundaes for dessert, and it was nine o'clock before Mary said that she should be going by now. One by one, the others proceeded to leave via the fireplace, until James, Liz, Lily and Sirius were the only ones left at the flat.

"Well – I should get going, too," said Lily, standing up. "This was fun – I really like your new house, Black." She gave him a little smile, which he returned. James stood up, too. "I'll drop you home," he offered, and Lily snorted. "C'mon – I can Apparate back, how d'you think I got here?" Liz and Sirius chuckled, too, and Sirius didn't lose any time in giving James an evil smile.

Shaking his head, James said, "I know, Lil – but it's late, and we live in dangerous times. How about – I Apparate with you and make sure you walk into your house? Won't hurt, would it?"

Lily shrugged. "I suppose not," she said, "Fine, then – c'mon, let's go."

James grinned and said, "Your wish is my command, m'lady." He mock-curtseyed to her before waving to Sirius and Liz, saying, "See you tomorrow, Padfoot – and now that you're alone, be safe, you kids." He grinned at their reddening faces, and dodged the cushion Liz threw at him. Lily laughed and said, "Well – see you later!" She proceeded to follow James out of the flat, and they began to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron. "Nice place Black's got for himself," said Lily, and James nodded. "I can tell he loves it," he declared, "It's his kingdom now…"

Lily nodded back at him and said, "Yep – it's difficult not having that kind of freedom in your own home." Her gentle voice carried a note of pain, and James knew immediately what she was referring to. He patted her hand gently and said, "C'mon – your house isn't that bad! Besides, your sister is in London now, isn't she?"

Lily gave him a little smile. "Yeah," she said softly, "Things are much easier at home when she isn't around…" She paused. "Does it make me a bad person to say such a thing?" Her emerald-green eyes bored uncertainly into his.

He shook his head. "Never be afraid of what you want, so long as it doesn't harm anyone else," he said sagely. "You may think it's a little selfish of you to be happy that your sister isn't home right now… But look at it this way. The way she treats you is the reason you're thinking like this… That's on her, and her only. It's not your fault."

There was a pause as Lily digested this. Finally, to his relief, she grinned at him again. "I suppose," she said, "Thanks – I guess I needed to hear that from someone else."

"Happy to be of service," he said, mock-bowing to her again before holding out his hand. "Shall we?"

"Hmm – you can do Side-Along?" she asked with interest, and he nodded. "I know we're novices at this, but Sirius and I have been practising Side-Along Apparition since we got back home –"

"We've been home for barely ten days!" Lily exclaimed, and James grinned. "What can I say, we're quick learners," he said, winking at her. She rolled her eyes and said, "Ugh – there's that famed James Potter arrogance again…" Her eyes were amused, however, and she proceeded to take his hand. "Go on, then," she said.

"With pleasure," said James, and turned around in a circle; concentrating with all his might, he extended the 'aura' of his Apparition to Lily, as if she were an object he was holding that he needed to take with him… He felt the familiar squeezing sensation as they disappeared into nothingness before his feet touched road, and he was relieved to find them standing right in front of Lily's house. Satisfied, he looked triumphantly at her, only to recoil slightly as she retched. "Sorry," he said quickly as she continued to look a little green, "I forgot that Side-Along is more uncomfortable for the person who is Apparating – er, alongside." She shook her head and said, "I'm just glad I didn't throw up this time…"

"You've thrown up before?" he asked with amusement, and she rolled her eyes. "All right, that's the last time you're dropping me home –"

"Oh, c'mon!" he exclaimed, but she continued, "If you want to in future, _I'm_ the one that Apparates us both – non-negotiable."

"Fair enough," he allowed, "I'm less likely to spew everything I've eaten –" He laughed as he dodged a smack from her. "Haha, too slow!" he taunted light-heartedly, and she rolled her eyes again before saying, "So – the Wimbledon final is next week… Meet me there? I'll get the tickets."

"Sure," he said, "I'll have to find out where it is, though –"

"On second thought, let's meet at the Leaky Cauldron instead," she said thoughtfully. "Match begins at three o'clock – and it takes an hour to get to Wimbledon from the Leaky Cauldron… I checked with Marlene, she knows the Muggle transportation in London quite well. We can have lunch first, too, if you like."

"I'd like that," he said, grinning at her brightly. "Great, then it's settled – noon, Leaky Cauldron, Sunday?"

"Done," she said briskly. She proceeded to bestow a perfunctory hug on him and said, "Thanks for dropping me home – goodnight, James."

"Goodnight, Lil," he said, and waited until she'd walked inside her house; waving her goodbye one last time, he proceeded to Apparate straight back to Potter Mansion, brimming with anticipation for what the coming Sunday afternoon would bring…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunday afternoon found James and Lily travelling to Wimbledon on the Underground. "This is boring," James whispered as the train stopped at another station, "Why do we have to stop every two minutes?"

"That's how public transport works, James – weren't you taught this in Muggle Studies?" Lily replied patiently, though her voice carried a hint of amusement. She kept her voice low as she added, "The Tube – that's what Muggles call the London Underground – is a train network. It has several lines which go through different parts of town, and serve as a cheap and reliable method of transport for the average Londoner…"

James nodded, taking all this in. "So – like the Knight Bus, only with a fixed set of destinations and stops?" he asked, and Lily wrinkled her forehead. "The Knight Bus?" she asked curiously, and James grinned. "My turn to explain," he said, "The Knight Bus serves as an easy method of transport for the witch and wizard who cannot Apparate, use the Floo, or fly with a broomstick. The bus runs all over the United Kingdom, and has several abilities like blinding speed and Apparition with everyone inside… Plus, it can even make anything in its way jump aside to let it pass before taking its original place, with anyone not on the bus none the wiser. Oh, and Muggles can neither see nor hear it. Pretty efficient, I'd say," he finished with a grin.

"I see," said Lily, nodding in agreement. "And how d'you board it?"

"You just stand where you are and stick out your wand hand," said James, and Lily nodded. "Pretty straightforward, then," she said, grinning.

James reflected on how well the day was going so far. He'd had lunch with Lily at the Leaky Cauldron before getting onto the 'Tube', and he was enjoying every minute of it. Lily had tentatively asked him what had happened between him and Ollie, but yet again, he'd politely declined to explain – he needed some time to sort out his emotions. She'd seemed content to avoid talking about their almost-kiss in the Hospital Wing a few weeks ago, and he wasn't inclined to talk about that, either. But they'd enjoyed a light-hearted conversation, and they'd happily debated over how much time Liz was spending at Sirius's new house (James claimed ten hours a day, while Lily had remained firm on four). James had disclosed the reason he'd split up from Ollie to Sirius, and his best friend had told him to be careful that day, and to figure out as soon as he could whether his feelings towards Lily were due to the sticky situation they'd been in, or unrelated (James hadn't said anything to Sirius about the almost-kiss). He was therefore determined to be on his best behaviour today, and not let her think that he was going to restart asking her out for a date, now that they were both single again…

"So – don't you want to know the rules for tennis?" Lily asked him with a smile, breaking into his thoughts. He focused on her quickly and said, "Hmm – I was wondering when you'd be getting around to that –"

She rolled her eyes and produced a pen (James recognised it from the picture in his Muggle Studies textbook) and a piece of parchment from her pocket. She drew a rectangle with several lines on it, and said, "This – is a tennis court, or the field in which the game is played. In the centre is the net, which separates the court into two equal halves, and these lines demarcate the boundaries. The match we'll be watching is a singles match – it means that two players will be playing each other…" She proceeded to explain the service, the points system, and different terminologies like 'game', 'set' and 'break'. James listened with rapt attention, intrigued; he'd never seen a sport where people competed against each other individually, and he grinned as he felt Lily's excitement rubbing off on him…

They reached their destination, and immediately found their seats. "Wow, these seats are marvellous!" James said happily, "We have a clear view of the court!" Lily smiled and said, "Yep – that's why Matt was so annoyed about missing the match, but he just let me have his ticket. I'm saving up to pay him back for it, though."

"Can't bear being in debt?" James asked shrewdly, and she shuddered slightly. "Not at all – but I doubt if you'd understand, you're practically rolling in gold." She stuck his tongue out at him, and he chuckled before withdrawing a mound of Galleons from his pocket. "You never asked me to pay you for the ticket," he said in response to her questioning glance, "So – I hope this covers it."

"Ooh, I can't take your money," she said, shaking her head firmly. "I asked you to join me, remember?"

"And I did," he replied, "Which means it's only fair that I pay you –"

"No," she said. "You came on Matt's ticket, and he chose to give it to me instead of selling it –"

"So? He still paid for it, didn't he?" he interrupted, but she held up her hand. "How about we discuss this later?" she said, and he nodded; he knew that she was proud, and that was one emotion he understood perfectly well. Spotting a snack cart, he grinned and said, "Be right back." He stood up, but she dragged him back into his seat. "I'll take care of it," she said with a smile, "That bloke will be confused if you try paying him with Galleons –"

"Fair point," he conceded, grinning, and waited for her till she returned with two bottles of water, and a packet of crisps. James surveyed the lush green tennis court with interest as he ate, saying, "Well – they certainly do themselves well."

"'Course," said Lily, "The Championships at Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world – and, though I'm saying it myself, one of the most prestigious. Plus – I'm really excited for today's match!" she exclaimed, a little breathlessly.

"Oh, yeah?" James asked, amused. "Why is that?"

"Because – Björn Borg is playing!" she exclaimed, and James was surprised to see a blush spreading across her face. He grinned and asked, "Who? Didn't catch that – did you say 'beyond' – er, Borg?"

"No, you idiot!" she exclaimed, going beetroot red now. "He's Swedish – B-yorn – got it?"

"Yep," replied James, his grin widening. "Ooh – someone has a crush on him –"

"Shut up," she interrupted, clearly embarrassed, and James laughed. He didn't know why he was being so flippant… _I suppose there's about as much a chance of Lily getting off with this Borg bloke as I have of going out with Catherine Harmison_ , he thought, smiling inwardly to himself. Catherine Harmison was the Captain of the Holyhead Harpies, and in James's opinion, one of the most beautiful Quidditch players in the world. A pity that she played for Scotland and not England…

"Who is this Borg bloke playing against?" he enquired. At that, Lily made a face and said, "An American named Jimmy Connors."

" _James_ Connors?" James asked curiously, and Lily nodded. "He goes by Jimmy, though," she said, in a tone which made it clear that she didn't think much of the nickname. "He won the final here three years ago – he's pretty good." She wrinkled her nose as she spoke, prompting James to ask shrewdly, "You don't like him, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Lily responded with a smile, and James laughed. "What d'you think gave you away – your expression or your tone?" he asked with a straight face, and promptly received a friendly smack on his shoulder. "Connors defeated Borg at the United States Open last year – in the final," she said, grimacing. "Therefore – in some ways, this is a rematch."

"I see," said James thoughtfully, "Who holds the advantage head-to-head?"

"Connors," said Lily, shaking her head. "He leads six-to-two – plus, he's older and much more experienced. But the silver lining is that Borg won their last meeting, so he ought to hold the edge mentally."

"Hope he wins," said James fervently, and Lily gave him a dazzling smile that caused his heart to melt. He grinned to himself; as handsome as Björn Borg was, it was worth it to support him just to see Lily beaming like that…

The players arrived on court, and the match commenced after about ten minutes of warm-up. James found that he could follow the action quite easily; Lily had explained the game well. The crowd let out a collective gasp before applauding in unison as Connors won a game on Borg's serve to take the lead; beside James, Lily was swearing slightly under her breath.

"That's a – _break_ , isn't it?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Yep," she said, her teeth gritted. "Dammit – Borg has an excellent serve, how the heck did he get broken?"

"Easy there," said James soothingly, "You said the winner needs to win three sets, right? And each set has six games, right? There's plenty of time – this is like taking a thirty-point lead in Quidditch!"

"C'mon, James," said Lily exasperatedly, "This is a different sport altogether! Borg's never beaten Connors after losing the first set – and by the looks of it, that's what's happening here! Oh, c'mon – focus, Borg!" she yelled in frustration as the ball flew past the big Swede's racquet, prompting applause from the crowd once more. Soon enough, the chair umpire (James had wrongly referred to him as the referee, prompting Lily to say tersely, "Tennis doesn't have referees – the official is called a chair umpire.") announced that Connors had won the first set 6-3.

"Not good," said Lily fretfully, "He lost the first set…" She buried her face in her hands.

"C'mon, the match has just begun," said James, and put an arm around her shoulders. "There's plenty of time…" He smiled gently at her when she continued to look morose. "I have an idea – how about I do something to – er, help?"

Lily quickly turned to face him. "What're you suggesting?" she whispered, and James sensed the sharpness of her tone. "You're _not_ suggesting – tampering with the ball or something, are you? Because – it would be cheating. How would you like it if your opponents bewitched the Quaffle to stick to their hands – or something?"

"Relax – it was just a thought," said James, in a quelling sort of way. He turned his attention to the huge Swede, who was a picture of calmness as he slowly sipped water from his bottle. He seemed to be rallying himself to the long battle that surely lay ahead for him… "Borg looks pretty calm," he commented, and Lily nodded. "He's known for his cool courtside demeanour… Some people even call him 'Ice-Borg' because of that." James snickered, and saw a little smile tug at the corners of Lily's mouth. "Well – if he wins this set, he'll be right back in it, won't he?" he asked, and she nodded. "Let's hope he does," she said fervently.

Lily got her wish – Borg played an incredible second set, breaking his opponent's serve twice and winning it rather emphatically with a score of 6-2. "Yeah – you go, Borg!" Lily yelled, much to James's amusement. "Wipe the floor with him!"

Winning the second set had clearly buoyed Borg, and he went on to win the third set six games to one, breaking Connors's serve twice in the process. James couldn't help but cheer on the muscular Swede as he led the match by two sets to one; beside him, Lily was jumping up and down in her seat, and whooping. "Wow – I haven't seen you get so worked up watching Quidditch!" he said, clearly a bit miffed. Lily laughed (it was a beautiful sound at which he couldn't help but grin) and said, "Well – I've been following tennis since I was little, see? I guess I'm as passionate a tennis fan as you are of Quidditch!"

"How come that never came up?" James asked in confusion. Lily laughed again and said, "C'mon – it's not like you know every single thing about me, is there?"

"But I'd like to," James blurted out, before he could stop himself. _Shite_ , he swore to himself. _Nice going, you sea-gherkin… Now you've put your foot in your mouth again!_ He stole a glance at her face, and caught her looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite place… "I meant like – y'know, become as good friends with you as Liz is, for example…" he said, wildly attempting to cover up for his slip.

At that, Lily smiled. "What're you talking about… You already are," she said, her voice gentle. She lightly placed her hand over his, and patted it. "Liz will always be my best friend… But these days, she's more occupied with other activities." She laughed, and James joined in nervously. What was she thinking? "And during that time, I'm glad I got a chance to get to know you, James," Lily continued softly, "And more importantly – erase my pre-conceived notions of you. You're much more complex than the arrogant, conceited persona you put up…"

"Who says it's a persona?" James asked, grinning. "Perhaps that's the real me…"

Lily snorted and said, "Nah – I don't think so. That's what you want everyone to think… But I've seen how you treated Olivia." His eyes narrowed slightly, and Lily held up her hands. "Sorry – I didn't want to mention her – but, the point I'm trying to make is, you're like a coconut."

"What?" James asked, completely thrown, but at that moment, the chair announced the start of the fourth set, and Lily put a finger on her lips, whispering, "Later." They focused on the match once again, which turned out to be a good idea – the fourth set was very much in the balance, with both players holding serve with ease (according to Lily, at least). Then, with Borg serving to stay in the set at 5-6, the unthinkable happened: Connors played the game of life, and broke the Swede for the first time in the set, winning it seven games to five.

"No!" Lily yelled as Connors let out a roar of triumph after winning the set, but her shout was drowned out by the applause for the American, who had displayed incredible fighting spirit to stay in the match, which had gone for more than two hours – and it was still all square, which meant that the fifth-set would be the decider.

"You were right," said James, "Tennis _is_ exciting! I have newfound respect for Muggle sports now!"

"As much as I'd like to say 'I told you so' – I'm not in the mood," said Lily, and it was evident that she'd reverted to her morose state at the end of the first set. "Connors has the momentum now… Dammit, Borg!" she exclaimed, "Did you have to get broken in the last bleeding game?"

"How about you tell me why I'm a coconut?" James asked quickly, attempting to distract her. It worked, for a thoughtful expression came over her visage. "Well," she said, and he was sure that she was choosing her words carefully, "You see – you try to put up this tough exterior, rather like a coconut shell. You come across a cocky and conceited, see? I mean, don't get me wrong, you're quite friendly," she added quickly, "But – your demeanour may not go down well with everybody. It takes some time to get to know you… But it's worth it." She smiled gently. "For that's when one sees you for who you really are… An intelligent bloke with courage, loyalty, honour – and pride, too," she finished, laughing slightly.

James sat silently for ten seconds, hardly daring to believe his ears. Finally, he said, "Wow… That has to be the nicest thing someone has ever said to me." She blushed slightly, and he grinned widely. "I'm glad you gave me a chance, Lily," he whispered, mentally thanking Sirius for what he'd said that day when Snape had called Lily a Mudblood… _You never made her feel like giving you a chance, Prongs…_ That's what his best mate had told him. Well, he'd crossed that hurdle, hadn't he? Triumph and jubilation rose in his heart, and the day suddenly became much brighter, despite it being only about an hour before sunset…

The chair umpire signalled the beginning of the fifth set, and James was elated when Borg broke Connors's serve yet again, and consolidated the break by holding his own. Beside him, Lily had regained her cheer, and stood up in her seat as Borg took the ball to serve at 5-4 up. "He's serving for the Championship!" she exclaimed excitedly, and James grinned, too – her happiness was infectious.

Borg took three points quickly, and the crowd applauded enthusiastically at match point, James and Lily included. "C'mon – just one more!" she yelled, as James whooped and clapped; he'd had a lot of fun throughout the match, and was eager to see it conclude. Borg hit a strong serve, and went back-and-forth with Connors for a few shots before hitting the ball powerfully to the right of the left-handed Connors ( _Backhand_ , thought James), a shot the American failed to return. The crowd went berserk, and Lily let out a scream of exultation before hugging James tightly. He returned her hug despite being slightly wrong-footed, and they remained locked for a few seconds before she drew back. "He won!" she yelled jubilantly, and he grinned widely at her. "Sure did," he said with amusement, "That was fun!"

They waited for the presentation ceremony and applauded enthusiastically when Borg raised the trophy before starting to file out with the rest of the spectators. Lily grabbed James's hand so that they wouldn't get lost among the crowd, sending a jolt of electricity up his spine, and confirming what he'd already suspected all afternoon and for weeks before that day…

His feelings for her, however dormant, were back in full force. Sure, he'd had fun spending time with Ollie, but the way he felt about Lily was something different entirely. In the context of their almost-kiss, he had his answer at last…

He was irreversibly in love with her.

The magnitude of this realisation left him preoccupied for a few minutes, and he wasn't really listening to Lily's happy prattle about Borg's overall gameplay as they walked. They'd just made it out of the court when Lily stopped dead, prompting him to stop, too. She immediately dropped his hand, and he turned to face her.

"What's the –?" he started to ask, but she was staring straight ahead, unblinking. He followed her gaze and noticed a couple in front of them: a portly young man dressed in elegant Muggle clothing (wasn't that a suit?) with a tall, blonde woman with a bony neck and pale blue eyes and an expression identical to Lily's. She looked vaguely familiar, though –

"Tuney?" Lily said, her tone betraying surprise, and James's eyes widened in understanding; so, this was Lily's infamous sister, and the bane of her home life. What did he know about her? Nothing much aside from the fact that she didn't like magic and resented Lily for being a witch…

"What're you doing here?" Lily continued, and James sensed from her tone that this was going to be far, far away from an exchange of pleasantries between two siblings…

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	19. Chapter 19

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, JainRidhi, Guest, CB, Anna and wyanmai! Always grateful!

 **Nupurlath:** Haha, sorry for the long wait. I think this was a little quicker, though… Enjoy! And I'm glad you picked up on the James/Sirius dynamic – I think it is as important as the James/Lily dynamic, if not more. Best friends are key in life.

 **JainRidhi:** Haha, thanks! I know, I know – I'm getting there. A little secret: I have actually written Jily scenes – the one where they get together, go on their first date etc. No intention of any spoilers, though. Unfortunately, you're going to have to be patient for me to get there!

 **Guest:** Thank you! Here you go!

 **CB:** Thanks! Welcome back!

 **Anna:** Hahahahahaha! Yeah, I agree this took longer than usual. I know, right? I suppose you're as invested in this story as I am – if not more!

 **wyanmai** : Hello, first-time reviewer! I understand your anguish… That's the unfortunate part of this story. We know how it ends! But I suppose the way we get to that end is just as significant, right?

Hi everyone, here is chapter nineteen. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Nineteen**

" **It's obvious that you don't know me at all."**

Lily continued to stare at Petunia, transfixed. She was sure that their parents didn't know Petunia would be going to the match, or else they'd have surely mentioned it… And who was this bloke with her, holding her hand? She studied him… He looked young, perhaps two or three years older than her sister. He was big and beefy, with hardly any neck, thick dark hair and a bushy moustache to match. The expression on his face was one of confusion, and she didn't like the way his eyes were narrowed as he surveyed her.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Petunia said, bringing Lily's attention back to her. "What're you doing here?"

Lily hesitated; should she go with the truth? She decided that she would. "I was going to come to the final with Matt – but he had to cancel at the last second," she said, "So – I asked James here to come instead, and he was kind enough to oblige." She shot a sideways glance at James, who grinned almost as if on cue, saying, "Hello, you must be Lily's older sister… Petunia, right?"

He extended his hand to Petunia, but she didn't shake it. Instead, she went pale, and Lily understood at once; Petunia's resentment towards the Wizarding world was probably manifesting itself into fear – fear of Lily (or even James) doing something out of the ordinary right there, right now… Plus, her sister was clearly out on a date with this bloke, and their parents didn't know of this – she was probably afraid that Lily was going to blab as soon as she went home.

"Hi, I'm James," said James, turning to Petnuia's companion instead and smiling at him pleasantly. _Hmm, he's more tactful than I'd give him credit for_ , Lily conceded, inwardly seething at her sister's rudeness… _Who_ in the world doesn't shake someone's hand?

"Vernon Dursley," said Petunia's friend, surveying James rather appraisingly. "Hello – how do you do?"

"Quite well, thank you," James replied, smiling. Turning to Lily, he said, "And this is –"

"Lily," Petunia interrupted, cutting across him; she appeared to have regained her speech at last. "Lily, my – sister…"

Lily didn't miss the distaste in Petunia's voice, and felt upset at once. However, Vernon was speaking, and she quickly turned her attention to him. "Hello," he said, and gave her a firm sort of handshake. "You saw the match, too?"

"Well – we weren't exactly here to sing and dance, see?" James responded dryly, prompting Lily to chuckle. She was the only one, though; she noticed Vernon's smile fade as he narrowed his eyes at James, and Petunia went scarlet. Sensing the danger at once, she said, "Good match, wasn't it? Five-setter – Borg was amazing –"

"Pah! He just got lucky," Vernon said dismissively. "Connors had him on the ropes – but he missed an easy forehand and got broken, the fool –"

"You're joking, right?" Lily interrupted, her eyebrows raised. "Borg was incredible, he dominated the second and third sets… And played _so_ well in the fifth!"

"That linesman needs a new pair of glasses," Vernon replied, shaking his head. "There were several contentious calls – I was just saying to Petunia here that this tournament's going to the dogs, the way they favoured one player over the other today –"

"What rubbish!" Lily exclaimed hotly, but before she could say anything more, James laughed nervously from next to her and said, "Anyway – it's over now, perhaps this Connors bloke will win next year, see?"

" _Connors bloke?_ " mimicked Vernon, his tone laced with irritation, just as Lily said stoutly, "Not a chance."

"Jimmy Connors is one of the greatest there is!" blustered Vernon; his face was slowly going red, and Lily noticed a vein pulsing in his temple. She was just about to counter his proclamation angrily when she felt James's hand on hers. He patted it gently as he said, "I don't doubt that, not at all… Hopefully they'll play again next year, and we'll see another great match! C'mon – you _do_ agree that it was a great match, right?"

Lily understood that James was trying hard to keep the peace here, and she appreciated it. She took in deep, calming breaths as Vernon frowned at James before saying, "Hmm – I suppose you're right, John –"

"James," James corrected him lightly; he was smiling, but Lily could see that his smile wasn't reaching his eyes.

"Yeah, James, John – whatever," said Vernon, a little contemptuously. "You're both children, though – unable to appreciate the _beauty_ of the game that is tennis –"

 _He has_ some _nerve_ , thought Lily furiously. _Who does he think he is, the Lord of the Universe?_ She opened her mouth to argue, but bit her tongue as she felt James's hand squeezing her own. James smiled thinly at Vernon and said, "Well – perhaps. Anyway, we should get going… It's getting late."

"Right, right," said Vernon. "Well – perhaps I'll see you again… You in particular, Lily." He winked at her as he spoke, and Lily was nonplussed; whatever did he mean? She shook his extended hand mechanically and waved goodbye to her sister, who had remained silent all this while… Lily wanted to tell her that who she went out with was none of her, Lily's, business, and that she wouldn't be blabbing the same to their parents, but there was no opportunity to do so in front of Vernon. And so, she simply looked on as Vernon shook hands with James again before leaving with Petunia, staring at their retreating backs silently…

"You all right?" James asked from beside her, and she focused on him at once. "Yeah," she said shortly, "A little surprised, I guess… I mean, Tuney's clearly going out with him, and that's got me stumped! What does she _see_ in him?" she exclaimed feelingly. "He sounds like a bag of wind to me!"

"Hey, relax, will you?" James said soothingly. "You thought _I_ was nothing more than an arrogant berk until you got to know me, didn't you? C'mon, give the bloke a chance!"

She hesitated, considering; James was right, she had a history of judging people based on first impressions. She gave him a sheepish grin and said, "Fine, fine… You've made your point. But c'mon, you didn't like him either, it was obvious!"

"Not to him, I hope," he replied, and she laughed. "I doubt if he'd have noticed," she said mischievously, "Didn't seem too bright, did he?"

James chortled and said, "Nope – and maybe I'm being harsh, but I got the impression that he thinks that only his opinion matters, really…"

"Oh, I'm _so_ glad you caught on to that!" Lily exclaimed fervently. "I was just going to give him a piece of my mind… Why did you stop me?" She glared at him, and he actually took a step back. "Look," he said, raising his hands, "I didn't want it to escalate, see? I figured that he wouldn't back down, and knowing you, neither would you – besides, your sister was competing with the Fountain of Magical Brethren, so I had to step in –"

"Fountain of Magical Brethren?" Lily repeated, raising her eyebrows. What in the world was that?

"It's a fountain in the Ministry of Magic," James explained. "There's a group of golden statues around it – a witch, a wizard, a goblin, a house-elf and a centaur… I was trying to make the point that your sister was just standing like a statue while her boyfriend was arguing with you – never mind," he added, waving a hand.

She laughed and said, "Sorry – I didn't know about the Fountain, so I didn't get the reference…"

"Your lack of awareness appals me," James responded dryly, and she immediately smacked him on the arm. "Prat," she said good-naturedly, and he grinned at her. "I'm hungry," he said, "D'you want to get a bite to eat?"

"Sure," she said, feeling a twinge of happiness; unpleasant as the meeting with her sister had been, she didn't want this day to end… She's had fun, and loads of it. James had been charming and courteous, and he hadn't asked her out even once, an act she'd been surprised by… She'd reasoned that he was probably still dealing with his breakup from Olivia. He'd remained curiously tight-lipped about it even after she'd asked him again, and she'd decided to let it go for the time being… She was sure that he'd talk to her when he was ready. He'd been his usual joking self all day, and she sighed inwardly as she noticed how low the sun was hanging in the sky…

"You have a place in mind?" James asked, and she quickly gave him a distracted sort of smile. "Yes – how about Café Cibo Delizioso? It's a new Italian restaurant in Cokeworth, opened last year – not too far from my house, too. Want to go there?" she asked hopefully.

"How is the food?" he asked at once, and she grinned. "Top-notch – my parents went there a few days ago, and they've been raving about it ever since," she replied.

That seemed to make up his mind, for he said, "All right, then – I'm in!"

"Good," she said, grinning at him, "Let's find a quiet spot to Apparate, then…"

They walked until they came up to a secluded alleyway; entering it, Lily said, "This will do… Give me your hand." James hesitated, and she grinned. "I do the Apparition, remember?" she reminded, and he sighed and grabbed her hand. "Can you even _do_ Side-Along Apparition?" he asked, and her grin widened. "Let's find out, shall we?" she responded confidently, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Hang on –" he started to say, but Lily had already begun the process; she spun around gracefully, concentrating hard on herself and James as they disappeared into nothingness, until –

Her feet touched the ground, and she was intensely relieved that they'd materialised right in front of her house. It was nearly dark, and she was sure that no one had seen them appear out of thin air… She felt James let go of her hand, and she grinned as she faced him. "See? It's a piece of cake!" she said cheerfully.

"I know – I mastered it on my first try, too," James replied, still looking a little shocked, "It isn't difficult, we only practised to make the process smoother. But – you could've told me that this was your first time!"

Lily guffawed and said wickedly, "What, and missed that expression?"

He shook his head. "You've been spending too much time with us," he said, "That's the sort of thing you'd expect me or Sirius to do –"

"Well – it's one thing I've learnt from you, James," she said honestly, blushing a little. "Confidence is key… A pity I can't apply it to Transfiguration." She looked away as she spoke, and he made a clicking noise with his tongue. "Your Transfiguration is fine," he said reassuringly, "Don't worry – you're going to do great this year, Lil. Now – where is this famed restaurant?"

"This way," she said, and began to walk; James kept pace with her, observing the houses around him with interest. She hoped fervently that they wouldn't run into Snape, _especially_ now that they could all use magic outside of Hogwarts… She didn't exactly fancy acting the peacemaker between her friend and her former friend. _Well – in case of a duel I'd support James, obviously_ , she thought to herself firmly, feeling her wand in the pocket of her jeans. She recalled their duel at the end of second year when she'd readily helped Snape against James and Black… _Yeah, not anymore_ , she thought angrily. _That chapter's over…_

"Here we are," she announced five minutes later, and they stopped at the entrance of the brightly-lit restaurant. James followed her inside, and they ordered a pasta… Lily made James try a pizza, and he was only too happy to oblige; he declared that it was one of the best things he'd ever tasted, prompting a laugh out of her. They ate and drank contentedly, until it was time for dessert. "We should try the tiramisu," she said, "It's a new dessert that's apparently taken the culinary world by storm…"

"Always in for sugar," James said happily. "I work it all off – unlike you –"

"Shut up," she said, "I exercise regularly too… And when I'm not, I don't eat sugar, it's that simple. Y'know what – let's order one, and share it… That way, neither of us eats too much."

He acquiesced, and they ordered the dessert; Lily took one bite of it and let out a sigh of happiness; it was so, _so_ good… "Wow – this is amazing!" James exclaimed, and dived into the tiramisu with great gusto. Not one to be left behind, Lily followed suit, reminding him that they were sharing it; within no time, the plate was almost clean, and James graciously let her have the final piece. "Thanks," she said, scooping it up on her spoon, but at the very next moment, James proceeded to scoop it off her spoon, and eat it instead. "Sorry – couldn't resist," he said, grinning, much to her irritation. "Greedy pig," she chided, "Why let me have it, then?"

"What – and miss _that_ expression?" he responded, imitating her, and she laughed despite herself… A couple of years ago, she'd probably have cursed him, but now, she just laughed it off. "Fuzzy-wuzzy," she said good-naturedly, and removed her purse; James tried to insist on paying, but she was having none of it; they went back and forth for about a minute before settling for paying the bill half-and-half. He insisted on doing it then and there, and she sighed and accepted his money as she put down a few pound notes before walking out of the restaurant with him in tow. He walked her home, and came to a stop in front of her door just as a church bell struck nine o'clock.

"I had a wonderful time today, Lily," he said softly. "Tennis is a great sport – and that tiramisu! _Wow!_ "

"I'm glad you liked it," she said cheerfully. "I had a fun day too!" He smiled at that, and she noticed his hazel eyes crinkle… Her breathing grew faster, and her heart began to pound… What was going on? Why was she feeling like this? She remembered the last time this had happened… She'd almost kissed him. Did she want to do that now? _'Course_ she didn't… But it had been such a great day, and she didn't want it to end!

"This is where I leave you," James was saying. "Don't forget to write!"

He gave her a superficial hug, and he drew back, Lily decided that it was now or never. She stood on tiptoe and planted a little kiss on his cheek, saying, "See you." She turned away from his face and quickly stepped into the house, blushing furiously… What had she just done? She'd given him a friendly sort of peck on the cheek… Would he think that there was more to it than just friendship? She hoped he wouldn't, for she wasn't sure what her feelings towards him were right now.

Did she, Lily Evans, have a crush on James Potter, the boy she'd sworn she'd never go out with?

She stole a glance outside the window next to the door, and just caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure walking away before it disappeared into nothingness. She sighed; what was going on? She didn't _like_ like him, did she? _Nah_ , said the voice in her brain… _Come on, you don't have a crush on James…_

Or did she?

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"So – you _kissed_ him?" Liz asked incredulously as they walked along the beach.

Lily sighed and said, "For the last time – it was just a little peck on the cheek! C'mon, Liz –"

"I know, I know," said Liz, a mischievous smile on her face. "It's just fun to rile you up!"

Lily stuck her tongue out at her best friend, who imitated her. "Why is it fun for people to rile me up?" she asked rhetorically, with mild exasperation. Liz simply laughed before patting her back mock-comfortingly. "Get used to it, Lil," she said, and winked at Lily, who rolled her eyes. _I'm doomed to have idiot friends_ , she thought, smiling inwardly…

It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon towards the end of July, and Lily was visiting Liz at Huntington Cottage, indubitably due to Petunia's presence at home over the weekend. Lily been writing regularly to James, Remus, Marlene and Mary, the latter two whom she was looking forward to meeting that evening at Mary's for a small girls-only party. So far, however, it had been a pretty uneventful summer, with Lily finishing her homework within two weeks of arriving home… The highlight so far (aside from the Wimbledon final) had been the fact that she'd finally been able to show her parents what she could do with her wand, and they'd been mightily impressed with her. It was now Lily's job to clean the house every morning and every night before going to bed, and she often played the role of Summoner-of-lost-objects, much to her parents' amusement and gratitude. Yes, using magic outside school certainly had its benefits…

"You know, I've been thinking," said Liz, bringing Lily back to the present. "Our spellwork – while it's great, I feel that we should test our skills against each other, just to see where we stand." There was a gleam of anticipation in her eyes.

"What – like a duel?" Lily asked, nonplussed.

"Why not?" Liz asked, grinning widely. "C'mon, it'll be fun! It'll be great practice, too… Besides, we won't use any lethal spells! How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Lily said, smiling herself; Liz's excitement was infectious. "But – where?"

"Come with me," said Liz, and grabbed Lily's hand. Together, they walked a little distance along the beach, until Liz said, "Yeah – this is where the wards end. I'm going to Side-Along Apparate us now – hang on!"

"Wait –" Lily protested, but Liz had already initiated the process; Lily felt that uncomfortable, squeezing sensation once again before her feet touched solid ground. To her relief, she didn't retch this time; she looked around with interest, and noted that they were still at the seashore. "Where _are_ we?" she asked curiously, and Liz grinned. "At an island – a few miles from the mainland. There, look –" she pointed into the distance, and Lily followed her gaze to see Huntington Cottage in the distance, "—we're quite close to home, and this island is deserted. Daddy brought me here at the start of the summer… We trained a bit – then he told me I could keep coming here by myself to practise. You see – this island also belongs to us, and it's got all sorts of spells on it so that we can use magic – undetected."

"Handy," said Lily, impressed.

"I know, right?" Liz said proudly. Then she drew her wand. "All right – come with me," she said, and Lily followed her best friend to a small clearing, away from the shore. "Now – some rules," said Liz, "We're only going to use minor to moderate Curses and Hexes, and Elemental Magic. No use of powerful Curses – got it?"

"That _would_ be relevant – if I knew any," said Lily, a little morosely. Liz laughed and said, "Same goes for me, too – I guess we should use everything we know, _whilst_ being careful."

"Yeah – sounds about right," agreed Lily. She drew her wand, and took a few steps back, facing Liz squarely. "First – we bow," said Liz, and did exactly that; Lily imitated her best friend, keeping her eyes on her all the time. _Until the end of this duel, Liz is my opponent_ , she told herself. _Just like Wizard's Chess – I'll try my hardest to beat her…_

"On three, then," said Liz. "One – two – three!"

 _Expelliarmus!_ thought Lily, deciding to start with the basics, but Liz deflected her jet of red light. Lily had expected that; she'd seen enough of Liz's duelling style by now to understand that Liz liked to start off defensively. Lily knew that Liz had more stamina than she did, which meant that if she were to stand any chance of winning this duel, she'd have to finish it fast – otherwise, Liz would just outlast her, allowing her to tire herself out before striking at the best opportunity. _Hmm – interesting tactics, Li_ z, Lily thought, mentally complimenting her opponent. _I suppose it's just as well that_ despite _mostly using defensive spells in almost all of our duels so far, I'm still better with offence!_ She shot a Stunner, an Impediment Jinx, and a Stinging Hex at Liz in quick succession, and watched with growing admiration as Liz blocked the first, deflected the second, and dodged the third. "Not bad!" she called out, "But you're going to have to do better than that if you want to beat me!"

"I'm just getting started!" Lily yelled back, but didn't strike; she non-verbally cast a Shield Charm around herself, and stood vindicated by her decision as Liz's two quick Stunners were reflected right back at her. "Ooh, sneaky!" Liz complimented, grinning as she dodged her own spells. Lily smiled in response, holding her wand steady; she was sure that she was quicker than Liz, though her best friend had better endurance. That meant that she could push Liz on the back foot and find a way past her defence, but she had to do it before she tired herself out and handed Liz the advantage…

" _Umbrunda!_ " Liz shouted, and it suddenly grew dark; the hair on the back of Lily's neck stood up as Liz vanished from view. She instinctively cast a Shield Charm around herself once again, casting her mind around for ideas on how she could penetrate the darkness… Until – " _Flammunda!_ " she yelled, and the Fire Wave lit up her surroundings and pushed the darkness away, but –

A speeding jet of red light came at her, and she used the Fire Wave to absorb it just in time. She understood at once; the Fire Wave was making her an easy target in the darkness, which was no doubt what Liz wanted. Cursing herself for falling for that trick, Lily strengthened her Fire Wave as the darkness began to clear; Liz couldn't keep it up while she bombarded Lily with attacking spells. Liz came into view at last, but before Lily could attack, her best friend shouted, " _Torrensum!_ "

The Water Torrent burst out of Liz's wand, and hit Lily's sheet of fire like a hammer hitting a nail. Lily struggled to keep up her spell as the fire hissed and crackled against the constant jet of water that was hitting it… "No use, Water beats Fire!" Liz shouted gleefully, and Lily contorted her face in concentration. The Fire Wave remained strong as it evaporated Liz's Torrent, but Lily knew that it was sapping her energy at an alarming rate, and with Liz's superior endurance, there was only one way this battle would go if she didn't do something, and fast –

A sudden thought came to her. _Yes – that could work_ , she thought with some trepidation, before making up her mind… She suddenly extinguished her Fire Wave, and was promptly drenched by the powerful Water Torrent, which pushed her down to her knees. "Ha – had enough?" Liz shouted, advancing on her, and Lily took her chance – her friend's defence was wide open, and she raised her wand and yelled, " _Visico!_ "

Liz abruptly stopped in her tracks as the Energy Drain Curse hit her; the next moment, Lily sprang back up, revitalized, and shouted, "Thanks for your energy, Liz – _Stupefy!_ " But – tired as her friend was, she still blocked the Stunner. "Didn't see that one coming," she said through gritted teeth, "Well, well – doesn't matter! _Torrensum!_ "

" _Flammunda!_ " Lily yelled immediately, and countered the Torrent with her Fire Wave. The two waves became locked in a stalemate until Lily couldn't keep it up, she could only look on helplessly as her Fire Wave became weaker and weaker… However, even Liz's Water Torrent was weakening, and at roughly the same moment, both Waves extinguished, leaving behind a very exhausted Lily and an equally drained Liz behind them.

"Whew, that was – that was something else!" Liz declared as she caught her breath. Lily simply nodded, too tired to speak… She sank to her knees next to her friend, and lay back on the grass. Liz imitated her, and said, "That Energy Drain was a pretty good idea – I got cocky, thinking I'd won!"

"I know," said Lily, mentally thanking James for that Curse. "I didn't cast it too strongly, though – you still battled despite being hit by it. It was my only chance – your Darkness Wave followed by the Water Torrent were brilliant tactics, they left me no choice!"

"I know – that was the idea," said Liz, smiling. "Didn't think you'd have an ace up your sleeve, though…"

"Call it a draw, then?" Lily asked, and Liz looked at her before saying, "Yep – a draw is a fair outcome to our duel. Despite my superior stamina and Water's advantage over Fire, you were able to draw – which in itself is pretty remarkable!"

"Thanks," said Lily, blushing a little. "But – I think I'm faster than you are when it comes to casting attacking spells – plus the Energy Drain helped."

"Yep," acknowledged Liz. "We'd make a fine team, Lil – with your attack and speed, and my defence and endurance."

"True," said Lily thoughtfully, "The last time we battled together, just the two of us – it was two years ago, against Mulciber and his cronies, remember? We used the same tactics then, and they almost worked, but we failed to do one thing, which led to our undoing. D'you remember what it was?"

"Yes," said Liz, giving Lily an embarrassed smile. "I was protecting you, and you were taking them out one by one… But I was so busy defending you that I failed to defend myself, and they pounced on that. I won't make that mistake again," she added fervently. "If you and I are battling together, I shall protect the both of us while you're busy finishing everyone off – and draining them of their energy if you run low, too!" She laughed, and Lily joined in… It certainly sounded like an excellent battle plan.

"There's something else I wanted to tell you, Lily," said Liz, and sat up; Lily followed suit, and faced her best friend. "Well?" she inquired.

"Er – I'm not really sure how to put this," said Liz, and to Lily's surprise, she saw uncertainty in Liz's sea-green eyes. "What is it?" she pressed, intrigued. A lack of self-assurance from Liz wasn't exactly common; _that_ had her concerned more than anything else.

"Er," said Liz, now looking away, "Well – you see, last Sunday – I was over at Sirius's for dinner, and we had a lot of fun. Then – we were just, er, _cuddling_ up on his bed, and –"

"Are the details really necessary?" Lily asked, frowning.

"Oddly enough, yeah," said Liz, determinedly avoiding her eyes. "The devil is in the details, Lil – 'coz you see, we started kissing, and one thing led to another, until –"

"Hang on," interrupted Lily, her eyes widening as comprehension hit her, "Are you saying that you two –?"

Liz bowed her head, now blushing furiously. "Yes," she whispered, "Yes – we had sex, if that's what you inferred…"

Lily just sat there, speechless. In all fairness, she should've seen this coming, now that Black had his own place – but it was a shock all the same. She knew, too, that Liz was someone with high standards and principles; so, if she'd taken the decision to lose her virginity to someone, it meant that –

"Oh, God," Lily said softly, "You really, _really_ love him, don't you? You're head-over-heels in love, aren't you?"

Liz looked up, her face redder than a tomato. "Yes," she answered shortly. "Sirius – he's the man of my dreams, Lily… I thought I'd feel guilty and terrible after we'd done it, but I was surprised – 'coz it felt neither. On the contrary, it felt – _right_ …" She paused. "I don't regret it," she continued softly, "Not at all…"

"Wow," Lily whispered in awe. She'd known that Liz and Black were in love, but she hadn't really imagined that they would consummate their love so soon…

Liz was surveying her carefully. "That's it? That's your reaction?" she asked Lily, sounding astonished. "No judgemental remarks, nothing about how it's not a good idea to have sex before marriage, no comments about how when a boy has sex with a girl, he's going to leave the next minute?" She laughed nervously.

"Well," said Lily thoughtfully. "No… I'm not judging you, 'coz I trust your judgement. And while I don't know Black very well, I _do_ know his best mate… James won't be friends with someone whose only objective is to have sex with the girl they're going out with before dropping her like a hot baking tray." Liz looked relieved, and Lily continued, "As for the marriage thing – I've never been a big believer of how sex is related to it. In my book, two people can have sex whenever they want, so long as they take precautions… You did, didn't you?" she added, with a questioning glance towards her best friend.

"Obviously," Liz said, nodding vigorously. "I used a Contraceptive Spell before and after we did it, see?"

" _Why_ do you know how to perform one?" Lily asked curiously.

Liz blushed and said, "Mum taught it to me a few days after I got back home for the summer. She reckons that every adult witch or wizard should know how to perform one… But it's more important for witches, obviously. It's not a difficult spell… I learnt it within ten minutes."

"I see," said Lily thoughtfully. "Would your Mum be OK with teaching me that spell, too?"

"Of course," said Liz, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Planning to have sex with James, are we?"

"Ugh, I knew this was coming," Lily responded, rolling her eyes. "One more wisecrack – and I'll tell your Mum about your escapade with Black!"

"You wouldn't," said Liz, laughing.

"D'you want to try?" challenged Lily, grinning as Liz's laughter faded away. "I _know_ you wouldn't – but I'm not fool enough to take that chance," she said, and Lily laughed. "Smart choice," she said, winking at her best friend. Then she asked, "So – how was it?"

"Oh, it was amazing," said Liz, as a dreamy expression came over her face. "Amazing… Like something you've never experienced before."

"I haven't," said Lily dryly, and Liz snorted and said, "You will – as soon as you get a boyfriend…"

"Yeah, that's going to take a while," Lily replied, "For now, I just want to concentrate on the NEWTs and focus on getting a good job – which, thanks to my blood status, isn't going to be easy."

"Don't worry – you'll do fine," said Liz, patting her hand. "The Ministry doesn't have anything against Muggleborns, it's _Voldemort_ who does… They'll hire you once they see your grades, I guarantee it."

"I hope you're right," Lily said, feeling slightly relieved. "Because – I think I want to be a Researcher, like Marlene's Mum. I've been writing to her, too… She's been great with advice."

"Good – you're talking to the right people," said Liz reassuringly. She glanced at her watch, and stood up. "We should get going – it's nearly four," she said. "Blimey, I'm knackered from our duel – we should eat something before we leave for Mary's…"

"Good idea," said Lily, "I'm knackered too –"

"Then c'mon, let's go," said Liz, and held out her hand. Lily took it reluctantly, bracing herself for the unpleasant feeling of Side-Along Apparition. It certainly wasn't her favourite way to travel…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunday morning found Lily cleaning up the house after breakfast, yawning as she did so… It had been late when she'd returned from Mary's the previous night. The girls-only party had been a lot of fun, but it had worn a little thin towards the end when Mary and Marlene had gone on and on about their boyfriends. Lily noticed that Liz had volunteered curiously little information about _where_ she was in her relationship with Black, and understood; it was partly because Liz didn't want to share, but also because she was taking Marlene's feelings into consideration… Yes, Liz was a wonderful friend to have.

Lily noticed Petunia enter her room as she walked up the stairs, and on a wild impulse, decided to follow her… She was curious to know more about this Vernon bloke, and _why_ her sister seemed to like him so much. She knocked Tuney's open door and said, "Can I come in?"

Petunia turned, and gave Lily her usual look of contempt mingled with resentment. "What d'you want, freak?" she asked, before going back to making her bed.

As always, Lily disregarded the slight, and said, "Well – I was wondering, who that _nice_ and _handsome_ man with you at the Wimbledon final? A – boyfriend?"

"What's it to you?" Petunia responded tetchily.

"Oh, mere curiosity," said Lily truthfully. "I mean, you can tell me – I am your sister, after all, even if you refuse to acknowledge that. Or – better still, how about you tell Mum and Dad, too?" she added with relish, watching with satisfaction as the colour drained from Petunia's face. "What's the problem?" she asked, "You're already twenty, you'll turn twenty-one next February – I don't think Mum and Dad will mind…"

Petunia remained silent, clearly trying to decide what to do. Lily ploughed on wickedly, "Or – how about _I_ tell them instead?" She grinned. "They'll be very interested to know _why_ you didn't visit two weeks ago…"

"Ugh – you play dirty, freak," said Petunia, and Lily smiled victoriously as she heard resignation in her sister's voice. She sat down in Petunia's chair without invitation, and imperiously nodded at her sister to start talking; Petunia sat down on her bed obediently, and said, "Well – if you must know, freak, Vernon works at Grunnings – that's the firm I'm working at, as an intern – as well. He's a Junior Executive – pretty good for someone his age; he rose quickly through the ranks, see? Anyway, he took a fancy to me… We've been going out for more than a month now." A dreamy look came in her eyes. "The best thing about Vernon – his how unbelievably normal he is. No – er – _freakishness_ , see?" she added, narrowing her eyes at Lily, who shook her head.

"So – you're going out with him because he's normal?" she asked in confusion.

"Not only that – he treats me like a queen, too," Petunia responded, surprising Lily with her ability to blush. "He isn't afraid to voice out his opinions, either – the bloke has an opinion on almost everything, it's positively fascinating! Indicates a man with strong character… I like that."

"I see," said Lily, not quite sure what to say. She wanted to tell her sister that Vernon seemed to be rude to anyone who questioned his opinions, whilst being dismissive of what anyone else had to say… That kind of arrogance wasn't a good trait. But – just like she had so many times in the past, Petunia would simply reject any advice that came from her, Lily… And so, she asked instead, "D'you like him?"

"Yes," replied Petunia without hesitation. "I know it's only been a month, but I like him…"

"Well – good for you," said Lily, getting up. "And don't worry – I won't tell Mum and Dad, it's not my place to say anything. Good luck with him." She smiled at her sister, and could've sworn that her sister had a faint smile on her face as she nodded in acknowledgement. Shaking her head slightly, Lily exited her sister's bedroom, slightly disturbed by how her own abilities had influenced her sister into finding someone whose best trait was their _ordinariness_ … _I dunno_ , she thought as she entered her room. _Personally, I'd prefer being with someone who has traits that set them apart from others, and make them who they are…_

Her parents asked her to go to the supermarket later that afternoon, and she obliged; she spent almost an hour there, buying everything she needed before heading back, wishing she could just use magic to Levitate her load behind her… She decided to settle for making it lighter instead, and had just finished doing so when she spotted an unpleasantly familiar figure heading in her direction. _Dammit_ , she thought, frantically looking around – but there was no place to hide. _Just my luck_ , she thought, cursing inwardly…

"'Afternoon, Lily," said Severus Snape, and Lily felt a rush of dislike at the all-too-familiar sight of his greasy black hair, hooked nose, overlarge clothes, and black eyes that carried no warmth. She forced a grim smile on her face and said, "What, no Mudblood? You're going soft, Snape."

A flash of pain appeared in his black eyes. "I _told_ you, I'm sorry," he said, struggling to keep his voice even. "I apologised – multiple times, I might add –"

"And I _told_ you – to save your breath," Lily retorted. "You and I are through being friends, Snape… The sooner you accept that, the better."

He shook his head. "Potter is responsible for your mindset," he said, his voice laced with anger.

She rolled her eyes. "It's funny how quickly your mind jumped to James Potter," she said, shaking her head. "As it happens, James Potter is my friend –"

"Gah!" Snape exclaimed, spitting on the ground next to him. "Don't give me that rubbish, you called him an arrogant toerag more times than pigeons take a dump every day! Potter is nothing but a snivelling, bleeding pile of bat droppings –"

"You're _obsessed_ with him," Lily cut across him, surveying him with mock-amusement. "In fact, if you like talking about him so much, why don't _you_ just go out with him? In fact, since he's a friend of mine, I could set you two up –"

The nonsense she was spouting was almost worth it to see a vein pulsing in Snape's temple, rather like Vernon's. "WHAT?" he yelled. "Me – _him_ – what the –?"

"Don't you have better things to do than to talk about my friends?" Lily asked him with pretend politeness. "Like, say – joining your dirty little Death Eater friends on your next rampage?"

Snape's eyes narrowed, and he said rudely, "As you've made abundantly clear so many times, you and I aren't friends anymore… Therefore, what I do in my spare time is none of your business."

"It never was," Lily said softly, now with a genuine twinge of sadness. "You never trusted me when I said that your friends would lead you down the wrong path –"

"But don't you _understand?_ " he exclaimed, and she was stunned to hear the eagerness in his voice. "It's the _right_ path – wizards, ruling over Muggles! Wizards, taking back what was rightfully theirs – and putting the Muggles, who have been a thorn in our flesh for so long, in their place –"

"My _parents_ are Muggles!" Lily exclaimed furiously. "So is your father!" Snape flinched, and she ploughed on, "I don't care how much you resent him, he's still your father!"

"No, he isn't," Snape shot back, his voice low and venomous. "He's a mean old man who –"

"Regardless," she interrupted again. "Are you really so _naïve_ as to believe that You-Know-Who's only agenda is pureblood – or even Wizarding, for that matter – supremacy? What about the Muggles, eh? They're human too!"

"Wizards and witches are superior," he responded adamantly. "In fact, someone of your talent should join You-Know-Who, too – you'll be an asset to the cause!"

 _Unbelievable_ , she thought furiously. Aloud, she said, "Well – that's just sad, isn't it? As much as I don't want to admit it, we used to be friends for about six years… And yet, _and yet_ , if you even think that I'd join a megalomaniac like You-Know-Who, it's obvious that – you don't know me at all."

And with that parting shot, she carried on with her merchandise, not even sparing a second glance at her former friend. Her heart pounded furiously, and for good reason: she'd seen it first-hand, how Snape had been corrupted… He'd been shown the lure of power, but part of his motivation was his own Muggle father's cruelty towards him. Did Snape hate all Muggles, then? She drew in a sharp breath. All those times Snape had come to her house, shared a table with her parents and Tuney – was he secretly hating them all the while? _Nah_ , said the voice inside her head. _He wasn't like that earlier…_ It was the company he kept that had truly made him go over to the Dark Side.

She shook her head. As much as she hated how her former friend had ambitions of joining You-Know-Who, he would be a formidable opponent to deal with… She'd seen Snape's prowess with duelling, most recently when he'd sliced James's chest open (she winced at the memory) with (presumably) a spell of his own creation. That, in itself, indicated formidable skill, as well as incredible magical ability… Yes, Snape wasn't an adversary anyone would wish to have. She was going to have to get a lot stronger if she had to beat him…

 _I'm going to ask Liz if we can train every day_ , she thought firmly as she came up to her house. _Yes – she has the means, and the facility, too… Besides, it would benefit her as well. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea… The harder we train, the stronger we get!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next few days was a busy time for Lily. She spent most of her evenings at Liz's, training hard (the idea had been received enthusiastically by her best friend, who had readily agreed to be her training partner). They sparred several times, and discovered that they were evenly matched; their tactics played to their respective strengths, as did their spellwork. Lily and Liz exchanged tips on how to combat their weaknesses, and even practised some team duelling with the Marauders, who occasionally joined their training sessions. Lily figured that James and the rest were training on their own, too – it certainly reflected in their duelling capabilities, and their rapid improvement after every bout.

Lily still found the time to visit Matt in Birmingham for a couple of days, and her cousin proudly told her that he was training hard over the summer, since he was in line for a senior team debut with Aston Villa at the start of the season. Lily was amazed and impressed; Aston Villa were a good team, and for them to give an eighteen-year-old his senior team debut spoke volumes of Matt's talent and skill. She felt proud of her cousin, who was realising his dream of becoming a professional footballer… She felt a twinge of sadness as she thought of James, however. His case was remarkably similar… A Quidditch player of prodigious talent and with the potential to break into any team in the Quidditch League, but he was willing to sacrifice all of it for the greater good – to fight the war that the Wizarding world was currently engulfed in. She respected him immensely for this particular choice – and what was more, she intended to help, too, hence all the training…

"Whew – that was amazing," whispered Liz after one of their training sessions. They'd fought a gruelling, exhausting and intense duel for the past twenty minutes, with neither of them willing to give up… Until Lily had managed to get past Liz's defence and unleash a barrage of Stunning Spells at her best friend; Liz had still somehow managed to dodge or deflect them before falling victim to the last one. Lily had quickly revived her, and the two of them now lay on the ground, utterly drained.

"Yep," said Lily, "I think I'm getting better with endurance… But I still need to do more to keep up with you."

"You're doing fine," Liz replied reassuringly. "C'mon – I stick to my plan of dragging our duel out for as long as I can, and yet you _always_ manage to find a way past my defence… I suppose I need to improve there."

"Your defence is top-notch," said Lily. "Trust me – if I hadn't been able to hit you with that Stunner, I'd have lost. I had no more fuel left in my tank…"

"Is that a car analogy?" Liz asked, and Lily grinned. "See? _This_ is why I told you that you don't need to take Muggle Studies," she said cheerfully, "I'm there to teach you everything you need to know!"

"Good to know!" said Liz, winking at Lily. Then she grew serious. "Anyway – thanks for distracting me for the past half hour," she said softly, and Lily shook her head… Liz was tense about the weekend; it was an important one for her relationship with Black. First, her parents had formally invited Black over for dinner that night (as their 'daughter's boyfriend', Liz had said with a roll of her eyes). Plus, she and Black would also be going over to Andromeda's for lunch the next day, for another 'formal' meeting – Black would be introducing Liz to the only family he was close to. Lily was sure that everything would go according to plan – just like she'd introduced Black as her boyfriend to her parents last year at Christmas, this dinner would be a cinch. As for lunch the next day, well – Andromeda knew Liz, didn't she? That would surely be good enough… _Liz is unnecessarily tense about this whole thing_ , thought Lily. It was quite unlike Liz to be ill at ease – but if she was, it was generally for a good reason.

"C'mon, it'll be fine," she said reassuringly, sitting up. Liz imitated her, and Lily saw doubt and uncertainty in her sea-green eyes. "Your parents don't know about – _that_ , do they?" she added, and Liz shook her head vigorously. "No! _'Course_ not!" she exclaimed vehemently, "I'm not such a fool as to –"

"Then it's going to be easy – just like any other meal," said Lily confidently, giving Liz a wide smile. Liz still looked unconvinced, and Lily stood up. "C'mon – what you need right now is some food," she said firmly, and before Liz could protest, Lily grabbed her arm and Apparated the both of them to Cokeworth (Lily had found a nice spot in the bushes behind her house that would serve as an excellent Apparition point during broad daylight). "What're we doing here?" Liz asked at once, and Lily laughed. "Patience – just come with me," she said, and led Liz right to Café Cibo Delizioso. They walked in, and Lily promptly ordered tiramisu for them both. She watched with satisfaction as Liz took one bite of the dish before attacking it with great gusto. "That's what I'm talking about," she said, amused, as Liz finished her tiramisu within record time and ordered another one. She grew a lot calmer as she ate, and Lily smiled victoriously; her ploy had worked, Liz was sounding a lot more confident at the prospect of that evening's dinner.

"Mmm – that was delicious," Liz said contentedly as they walked out of the restaurant. "I should get back now – what're you going to do this evening?"

"Oh, don't worry about me – I'll find ways to entertain myself," said Lily, chuckling slightly. "My parents are going out for a movie tonight – so, I have the house to myself. Perhaps I'll use that time to practise my spellwork…"

"Nah, I have a better idea," said Liz. "I dunno if it can happen, so I'm not going to tell you what it is right now… But trust me, you'll be delighted if it does."

"Ooh, what's the idea?" Lily asked eagerly, but Liz wouldn't say; she spent the next few minutes trying to force it out of her friend, who remained resolute as they came up to the Apparition point. "Expect company within ten minutes," said Liz mysteriously, and Lily shook her head. "Finally, a hint," she said with mock-relief. "Anyway – good luck!"

"Thanks," Liz said with a smile, and gave her a little wave before vanishing with a little _pop_. Lily walked back to her house and fixed herself a cup of coffee, mulling over what Liz had meant… Until the ringing of the doorbell broke into her thoughts.

Wondering who it could be as she made her way towards the door, Lily opened it and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "James!" she exclaimed, unable to prevent a wide grin from appearing on her face, "What're _you_ doing here?"

"Well – Liz said that you're free this evening, and I was free, too… So, I thought, how about I just drop in on you?" James said, returning her smile with a crooked grin of his own.

"So – _you're_ the entertainment?" Lily said dryly, "Here to make sure I don't get bored?"

"Call it that if you will," James responded, "Yes, _I_ am the clown –"

"I'm aware," Lily replied, laughing. "C'mon in – I just made some coffee!"

James followed her into the dining room, and she quickly served him some coffee with a wave of her wand. "Nice," he said admiringly, "Getting better with non-verbal spells, are we?"

"A simple Locomotion Charm," Lily said, sipping her own coffee. "So – what d'you want to do, now that you're here?"

"I don't mind training a bit – every time we've trained together, it's mainly been two-against-two," replied James. "I mean – I've seen your prowess at duelling, I know you're excellent –" Lily blushed, and James smiled at her before continuing, "—which is why I want to see how you'll do when you're up against me, with no Liz to defend you… Also – we do know each other's duelling styles by now, so it'll be fun to improvise. What d'you say?" He looked at her eagerly over his coffee mug.

Lily sighed; it was a tempting prospect, but she'd just come off of a draining duel with Liz. "That sounds good, James – but I must decline," she said regretfully. "I've been training with Liz today, and I'm a little tired – but we could do it another time, if you like."

"Sure – I'd like that," said James, with a gentle smile at her. "Well – if you do want to spend a quiet evening at home, how about some Wizard's Chess instead?"

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Lily, her excitement rising immediately. "Hang on – I'll get my Chess set –"

She raised her wand and Summoned the set Adam Wright had given her last Christmas. Sure, it reminded her of him a bit, but there were no feelings involved anymore… And besides, it was a beautiful Chess set, _too_ beautiful not to be used. "You can take white," she said, and he grinned. "Sure – I'm going to wipe the floor with you!" he said confidently, "e4!"

"Haha, I'd like to see you try!" Lily responded with a mischievous smile. "Let's see – e5!"

It turned out to be a fun game; Lily hadn't played since she'd beaten Peter for the first time about two months ago, and it was exciting to play a match with James again. James started off with an aggressive Brandenburg Blitz, which Lily countered with an unconventional strategy – the Appalachian Defence, a risky strategy that was mainly based on sustaining losses early on _whilst_ simultaneously building up a position of attack, before using both castles to wreak havoc onto the opponent's defence. Lily did exactly that, and slowly pushed James on the defensive… But he played a series of aggressive, counterattacking moves which proved to be too much for her, causing her to admit defeat a few minutes later.

"Good game, James," she complimented him, still a little shocked with his moment of finesse when he'd skewered her king with his bishop, taking her castle and wrecking her own defence. "I'm impressed – you seem to have played several times since our last match!"

"No – I'm just _that good_ , it's time you accepted that," James replied, with a mischievous grin. She stuck her tongue out at him before looking at the clock; she let out a loud exclamation and said, "Woah, it's already eight! We've been playing for more than two hours – I didn't even realise it!"

"That's a testament to how good my company is," said James, winking at her. She grinned and said, "Nah – I think I just like Wizard's Chess that much." He made a face, and she laughed. "D'you want to stay for dinner?" she asked, "I'll whip something up."

"As much as I'd like to say yes – I must decline," said James regretfully. "Mum's making lobster and mussel stew, and I can't miss that! Hey – how about _you_ join _us?_ " he added, looking at her hopefully.

Lily sighed; she wanted to, but she didn't know if it would be appropriate to say yes – _just_ like that. As if reading her mind, however, James said, "Look – I'll just Apparate back home and ask Mum if it's OK for you to join us – she'll say yes, obviously – then I'll come back and let you know, and you can decide if you want to come or not – happy?"

"Very," Lily responded dryly, relieved. He rolled his eyes, gave her a little wave and said, "All right, then – be back in a jiff!"

She sat there waiting, weighing whether she really wanted to have dinner at James's… It had been a fun evening, it certainly beat watching a movie on the telly and having scrambled eggs for dinner. Plus, she liked James's parents… They were good people, and she liked discussing Potions with Mrs Potter. It would definitely be nice if she could go…

James returned within five minutes, and to her elation, told her that Mrs Potter would be glad to have her over for dinner. She promptly shot off to her bedroom and changed into something better-suited for the occasion; James complimented her looks (making her blush) before Apparating them both to Potter Mansion. They walked through the wards (Lily felt the familiar sensation of walking through jelly) before entering the house, and made their way straight to the dining room.

Lily had a fun time having dinner with James and his Mum (Mr Potter was working late again, as James explained). She excitedly explained a few shortcuts that she'd found while brewing potions at Hogwarts, and Mrs Potter revealed a few more, much to her delight. James pretended to snore loudly during this discussion, and it was not until Lily had chucked a piece of lobster at him (with amused consent from Mrs Potter) that he stopped and pretended to wake up from a deep slumber. They discussed their career prospects, too; Mrs Potter graciously offered to write a letter of recommendation for Lily if she applied to the Department of Magical Research, and Lily thanked the older woman whilst assuring her that she would definitely consider it. They had some No-Melt Ice Cream for dessert, and all too soon, it was time for Lily to go.

"I had a great time, Mrs Potter – thank you for inviting me," she said politely, and the older witch grinned at her. "My pleasure, Lily… You're welcome here, at any time!" Lily acknowledged that with a smile, and James said, "Well – see you in a bit, Mum, I'll just drop her home."

"Yes – of course," said Mrs Potter, and Lily gave her a quick hug before saying, "See you later, Mrs Potter!" She walked out of the house with James in tow, and the pair of them Apparated back to Lily's house together. The house was still dark; clearly, her parents weren't home yet. "D'you want to come in for some cold coffee?" she asked James, who smiled. "Thanks for the invite, Lil – but I'm afraid I can't, I have a big day tomorrow."

"Oh, really?" she said, smiling a little mockingly. "What does the great James Potter have to do tomorrow – polish your broomstick for twelve hours?"

"Ha ha," James responded sarcastically, "No, I have to work on – ah, a _project_ – with Moony and the Worm, since Sirius isn't free tomorrow." He averted his eyes as he spoke, and Lily regarded him with suspicion. "What 'project'?" she asked curiously, casting her mind around… They didn't have a summer school project, which left only one possibility. "Is it that map of yours?" she added shrewdly.

"Well – kind of," said James, looking surprised that she'd come to that conclusion so quickly. He sighed with resignation before continuing, "It has a few shortcomings, see? For instance – it couldn't detect the Death Eaters using Polyjuice Potion to transform into seventh-year Slytherins at the end of last year. That, and a few others… We're going to get together and fix those tomorrow."

"Hmm – how about I join you?" Lily asked thoughtfully. "It sounds like a challenging problem – and I don't have anything to do tomorrow, too… Maybe I can help."

"You do know why we made the map, right?" James asked, regarding her with amusement.

"Yeah, yeah – but my conditions last year are still in effect," Lily replied, waggling her index finger at him. "That being said, it _is_ an intriguing problem…"

James considered. "Hmm – all right, I suppose you can help," he conceded, a little grudgingly, and she gave him a jubilant grin. "Come to Sirius's at nine o'clock tomorrow – he's letting us use his house, considering he'll be gone since the morning, see? They're all going on some sort of picnic…"

"Really?" Lily asked curiously. "I thought they're meeting for lunch, Liz didn't say anything about a picnic –"

"Yeah, she doesn't know that yet," James interrupted, grinning. "So – keep it that way, will you?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," said Lily, giving him a mock-salute. "All right, then – I'll see you tomorrow! Thanks for dinner!" she added, and he grinned. "Anytime," he responded, "G'Night, m'lady." He kissed her hand, which sent a tingle up her arm; what was _that_ all about? "See you tomorrow!" he added; he gave her a quick wave before walking down the street and Disapparating.

Lily stood at her doorstep, staring at the spot where James had vanished and mulling over the past few hours… She'd enjoyed herself a lot, that was for sure. She was a little disappointed that James had declined her invitation to have some cold coffee, but that was fine… More importantly, just like the day of the Wimbledon final, she found herself wishing fervently that the evening hadn't come to an end so soon. And what was that tingling sensation all about?

Lily shook her head. _Confusion_ was the emotion she was feeling right now, and she had a feeling that it wouldn't be going away any time soon…

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	20. Chapter 20

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, JainRidhi, Annunminuialiel (interesting name, what does it signify?), Anna and Pratha! Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! It's like, they can use magic everywhere, but during the day, they have to make sure that they Apparate when no Muggles are around. At night, it doesn't matter, which would make them lax about the Apparition points.

 **JainRidhi:** Thanks! And yeah, that is when you will have chapters a little faster! Your high praise is honestly very flattering! 😊

 **Annunminuialiel:** Thank you so much! Please keep reading and reviewing!

 **Anna:** Haha, you're welcome! I haven't decided Liz and Black's couple name yet – but how does 'Blitz' sound? I know I'm cheating, there are no T's, but I like Blitz more than any other names! Got the idea from your suggestion (Bliz), haha! But if you have anything else in mind, feel free to post it in your reviews!

 **Pratha:** Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter too!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty**

" **You go out there – and you be the best damned Head Boy Hogwarts has ever seen."**

"Jamie, darling – your Hogwarts letter's here," announced Mrs Potter one morning about a week before school started. "Coming, Mum!" James hollered; stuffing the last bits of his breakfast into his mouth, he made his way to the living room, where his Mum handed him a familiar envelope with the Hogwarts crest on it. "It feels heavy," said Mrs Potter, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. Intrigued, James tore the envelope open and shook it; his mouth dropped open in shock as a small, shield-shaped object fell out of it and onto his outstretched hand.

"You're Head Boy!" Mrs Potter exclaimed in delight, and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Jamie – that's so wonderful, I _knew_ that envelope felt heavier than usual!"

"Mum," said James, his voice soft as he drew back, "Clearly, there's been a mistake. I mean, I _can't_ be –" he examined the scarlet-and-gold shield-shaped badge that read 'Head Boy' – " _Head Boy_. I mean, I just can't be!"

"And why not, son?" Mrs Potter asked, her brow wrinkling.

"Gosh, Mum – d'you even _have_ to ask?" exclaimed James in disbelief. "For Heaven's sake, look at the trouble I've caused! I've broken more school rules than I can remember, and I've served so many detentions that there should be a plaque in my name as holder of the record! Although, come to think about it, Sirius may have more –"

"But, James," interrupted Mrs Potter, "Son – becoming Head Boy has nothing to do with detentions! A Head student is chosen for excellent academic proficiency, having the strong personality of a leader, as well as for their values and principles. You, my dear, have shown all these qualities – which is why, you deserve this!"

"Dumbledore's barmy," James replied, unconvinced. "He's getting old… No one in their right mind would make _me_ Head Boy. I'm not even a Prefect, for crying out loud!"

"That doesn't matter," said Mrs Potter dismissively. "The Head students – they're good, honest, hardworking people with a strong set of morals. I think that describes you perfectly, sweetheart." She ruffled his hair as she spoke, but it did little to assuage James's misgivings. "I dunno, Mum," he said thoughtfully, "This is weird… I always thought Remus or Gavin Johnson from Hufflepuff would be shoo-ins for Head Boy."

"Well, Dumbledore clearly sees something in you that he doesn't in them," said Mrs Potter, as if that settled the matter. "I suggest you read the letter – the Headmaster usually sends a note to the Head students to congratulate them on their selection, and to remind them of their responsibility, too."

James nodded and quickly retrieved the remaining contents of the envelope. There were two scrolls of parchment in there; one was a booklist for the coming year, and the other was a letter written in a distinctive, slanted handwriting that read:

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _It is my pleasure to congratulate you for being appointed as Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Every year, the teachers nominate three students for this prestigious post, based on their academic and sporting achievements, as well as their character and charisma. However, there is another quality that the teachers look for: the potential to lead and be proactive rather than reactive. I see great potential in you, Mr Potter; you have proven time and again that you are worthy of this post, which is why you have been appointed. I trust that you will be able to shoulder this responsibility competently and make us all proud._

 _Head Students usually meet the Prefects on the Hogwarts Express on September the First. It is the duty of the Head Students to make timetables for Prefect meetings and patrols, decide the dates for the Inter-House Quidditch Cup matches as well as Hogsmeade weekends, and handle inter-House disputes. In addition, the Head students have the power to award or deduct points from any House; however, I expect you to be fair and impartial while doing so. I am aware that you have no previous experience of being a Prefect, and I am sure that your fellow Head Student will be able to assist you in that regard. I request you to meet me in my office after the start-of-term banquet along with the Head Girl for additional instructions._

 _Good luck._

 _Yours faithfully,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

 _Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _P.S.: Your fellow Head Girl is Miss Lily Evans of Gryffindor House._

James read the letter several times, hardly believing it to be true. It did confirm one thing for him, though… It wasn't a mistake; he really, _really_ was Head Boy. He couldn't believe it; he couldn't have imagined something like this happening, given his abysmal disciplinary record. He focused on the postscript… Lily becoming Head Girl was no surprise to him; he couldn't think of anyone more suited for the role. _She'll be like a fish in water_ , he thought. But what about him? _I'm more likely to be a fire salamander in water_ , he thought, with a resigned sort of smile. _I'm out of my depth here…_

"Well?" Mrs Potter asked, " _That_ confirm things for you?"

"Yes," said James, "I understand… It isn't a mistake, that's for sure. I dunno how I'm going to do, though…"

"Oh, you'll be fine, son!" Mrs Potter said heartily. "You're going to make a great Head Boy! Who's the fellow Head Girl?"

James turned to face his Mum. "Lily," he said softly, painfully aware that a blush was creeping up his cheeks at that very moment… _What's going on? I don't blush_ , he thought as his mind flashed back to how much time he'd spent with Lily over the summer… And yet, it didn't feel enough. Time seemed to pass by amazingly fast when he was with her…

Just the previous weekend, she'd come to Potter Mansion for dinner, and the next day, they'd hung out at Sirius's for a long time, working on the Marauders' Map. He'd looked on in satisfaction as Lily and Remus carefully applied a Nonineptias Charm on the map, giving it the ability to not be fooled by the Polyjuice Potion or Invisibility Cloaks. James knew that they would still have to tinker with the map as more unforeseen shortcomings (possibly) came to light, but for now, the map was a strong tool on its own.

Sirius and Liz had returned in the evening after their day out with Andromeda, Ted and baby Nymphadora, and Liz had informed them excitedly that Andromeda had liked her… Sirius had then proceeded to tell them that Liz's parents had been quite pleased with them, too, prompting a little celebration of sorts (Peter had volunteered to get double sundaes from Florean Fortescue's). James felt happy for his best friend; after a difficult upbringing, here at last was someone who appeared to love him for who he was… He felt happy for Liz as well; he knew how much she'd pined after Sirius back in fifth year, and he couldn't think of two people more suited for each other. In fact, it felt as if Providence was telling him to get inspired by this and tell the girl of his dreams that he liked her, too…

Nay, that wasn't quite right. He loved her…

"Excellent," said his Mum brightly, jolting him back to the present. "With the amount of time you two will be spending together, you'll be able to woo her easily!" She gave him a wink and a knowing smile. "Mum!" he exclaimed, and she laughed. "What, don't pretend that the thought didn't cross your mind!" she said shrewdly.

"It did _now_ ," said James, quite truthfully, and Mrs Potter gave him another wink. "I know you're still hurting over Olivia, son," she added gently, "I know you really liked her… Your gesture with Freddie Greengrass's bat proved that. But – if you're sure that Lily is the one for you… Well, you have my blessing. I have no doubt whatsoever that you two will be together some day."

"Thanks, Mum," said James sincerely, and proceeded to hug her. "Well," he said as he drew back, "I suppose I better give Lily the 'good' news… That she's going to be stuck working with James Potter, arrogant toerag extraordinaire!"

"C'mon, James, you know she doesn't think of you like that anymore," said Mrs Potter, laughing. James shrugged and said, "Yeah, well – give it time, and that may change… Spending too much time together can be a bad thing, y'know. If she sees that my flaws outweigh my redeeming qualities, she may want nothing to do with me –"

"Nothing of that sort is going to happen," said Mrs Potter firmly. "You're a wonderful person with a heart of gold, nothing else can trump that. And whatever she may have said to you earlier – something happened over the past year that changed everything, son. You grew up." She ruffled his hair fondly. "There is a marked change in the way she looks at you between how she did at dinner last year, and at dinner last week. You've passed that initial barrier where she's come to accept for who you are, son – and that's something which doesn't change easily. She likes the person you are."

"Thanks, Mum," said James, a little lump in his throat. He'd told his Mum about how he'd split up with Ollie, and she'd understood… She'd comforted him and supported him, and now, she was encouraging him to move on. Well, he was willing to do that – for there was only one person he wanted to move on to…

"Mum – I'm going to Lily's," he said, making his decision quickly. "Just like Dumbledore told me, he'd have told her, too… I need to see how she's taking the news. I'm sure I wasn't the one she envisioned to be working with –"

"She's going to be delighted, son," said Mrs Potter with conviction. James gave her a quick grin before shooting upstairs to throw on a clean t-shirt and jeans; he kissed his Mum goodbye and stepped outside the house to make his way outside the wards, so that he could make his way to Lily's house… However, as he prepared himself to Disapparate, he heard a small _pop_ ; turning around and drawing his wand quickly, he received a pleasant surprise.

"Lily!" he exclaimed, lowering his wand, "What a coincidence – I was just about to Apparate to your house!"

"Ha – looks like I beat you to it," said Lily, grinning as she walked towards him. She produced a scarlet, shield-shaped badge from her pocket and said, "I trust you got one of these, too?"

"Er – last time I checked, I was definitely _not_ a girl," James replied dryly. She rolled her eyes and said, "Hmm, maybe you didn't check properly enough –"

"I could _show_ you now, if you like," offered James before he could stop himself. He kicked himself mentally; what the _hell_ was that? This was the kind of joke one made in front of Liz, not Lily! What was the matter with him?

"Ew, no!" Lily exclaimed, and mock-hit him on the shoulder. "I swear, you and Liz are the same – making disgusting jokes like that –"

"Who says I was joking?" retorted James, grinning to disguise the fact that he was cringing inwardly. _Dammit, Potter_ , he thought. _Are you_ trying _to get her to kill you?_

"Well, if you aren't, I'd be happy to add some fire to the mix," Lily responded, giving him a smile that was half-wicked, half-resigned as she drew her wand. James held up his hands and said, "OK, OK – I'll stop, promise."

"Good," she said, a little triumphantly, lowering her wand, "The Head Boy should carry himself with more dignity than that…"

James immediately showed her his new badge, and she nodded once, as if authenticating it and understanding that it wasn't a trick. "Look – I'm as shocked as you are," he confessed, "I dunno how I got this badge, and I know diddly squat about how to be a Head Boy or a prissy Prefect –"

"Well – I wouldn't say I'm shocked," said Lily. "Surprised, yes – but it sort of makes sense, doesn't it?"

" _No!_ " exclaimed James in disbelief, "Come off it! Dumbledore wrote some things in his letter about how I have the potential to be a good leader, and Mum concurs… And now, you're saying it makes sense, too! I mean, has the world gone _mental?_ "

"All right, calm down," said Lily, placing a soothing hand on his shoulders. "It's just Head Boy – it's not like you've been made the, I dunno, Captain of the English National Quidditch Team –"

James snorted and said, "That'll be easier, trust me."

"Ooh," said Lily facing him with those beautiful green eyes that now held an uncharacteristic gleam, "Could it be that James 'my-confidence-is-unshakeable' Potter, Quidditch Captain, model student, skilled duellist, is – _nervous?_ Nervous about becoming ickle Head Boy?" She guffawed heartily and patted his shoulder in a patronizing sort of way.

"Shut up," said James, "Why is this funny to you?"

But she continued laughing. "Oh, you should see your face right now! I can't believe it… The great James Potter, nervous!"

"C'mon – we all have our weaknesses," said James, frowning. "For instance – I could make fun of how bloody uptight you are, but I don't, do I?"

"Who says it's a weakness?" Lily countered, a most un-Lily-like smirk on her face. "I guess I just didn't imagine there would actually be something you're not so confident about –"

"Well, congratulations – you found it," James said huffily.

"Hey, c'mon – I'm only joking," said Lily, her voice gentle. "C'mon… You're going to be a fine Head Boy."

"You don't know that," said James. "Look – you're a natural at this, you love rules and responsibility. Over the past two years, I've seen how you've conducted yourself as a Prefect… And I dunno, I don't think I'm cut out for that! I'm a Quidditch player, a troublemaker, the kind of person one goes to when they need a few laughs – not someone who can uphold the high standards of discipline that are expected from a Head student! It's just not – _me!_ "

Lily listened to him in silence. He sighed and said, "Sorry… Didn't mean to rant –"

"That's all right," she said. "You have your booklist, right? Let's go to Diagon Alley to buy our books and stuff… We can have lunch, too, and talk about this. All right?" She tugged at his sleeve. "C'mon – you'll feel better, trust me," she added, and James shrugged, struggling to keep his face nonchalant as he felt butterflies in his stomach; lunch with Lily sounded wonderful! Now all he had to do was not lose his cool… "All right, then," he said, and she gave him a wide smile. "C'mon, then – let's go!" she said enthusiastically.

She quickly grabbed his hand, and Apparated the two of them right onto the doorstep of the Leaky Cauldron. "Nice – good accuracy," James complimented, and she smiled smugly at him before entering the pub. They nodded to Tom the barman before making their way towards the brick wall that separated the Leaky Cauldron from Diagon Alley. Lily tapped her wand on it, and the wall opened up to let them into Diagon Alley.

About two hours later, Lily and James sat down for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. They'd bought their books, refilled their Potions kits, and bought new school robes (Lily had told him that she would've headed to Diagon Alley that day anyway, since Liz had finished her shopping with Sirius already). James had even bought a new set of dress robes, thanks to his old ones being too short for him now that he'd grown at least three inches over the past six months, and Lily's admiring glance had served to raise his spirits considerably.

"So," said Lily as she nibbled on a little piece of chicken, "Look… I understand, all right? I understand your misgivings, and why you're nervous… Plus, you've never been a Prefect, so I'm sure that's playing on your mind. He nodded, and she continued, "Fine. Look at it this way, though… You know you're a good leader, don't you? You've Captained the Quidditch team _beautifully_ over the past two years –"

"Have I, though?" James interrupted. "We haven't won –"

"Winning isn't everything," Lily cut across him. "I know, I know – it's extremely important, I get that," she added quickly as he opened his mouth to argue, "But – that's not the point I'm making. You're an excellent captain, James… You've always conducted yourself with the grace and poise that most people are unable to achieve. Consider fifth year, for example… You knew that your team had internal problems – Liz and Marlene fighting, Black getting banned for the last match – but you still gave it everything you had. You repaired the friendship between Liz and Marlene, and made sure that they played the best Quidditch they could, _as a team_. And last year, when Marlene missed the penalty – you supported her, defended her, and taught the entire House a lesson in sportsmanship and attitude. _This_ , James – is what a leader is supposed to do, and what you do time and again, on a consistent basis."

Lily set her fork down and clasped his hand in both of hers. "Outstanding leaders go out of your way to boost the self-esteem of their subordinates. You see – if people believe in themselves, it's _amazing_ what they can accomplish… And you, James, have that _uncanny_ ability to make people believe in themselves." She closed her eyes. "You made me believe in myself when we were in mortal danger, that night in Swansea," she said softly. "I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again… I couldn't have done it without you." She opened her eyes again and smiled at him. "You have that knack for inspiring people, James – and _that's_ what makes you an excellent leader."

James nodded silently as he mulled over what she was saying. Her words were deep and insightful… _C'mon, Lily – I know what you're doing_ , he thought. _You're trying to inspire me, just like I did that night… But I'm not as good as you're making me out to be, I'm just –_ not! He still couldn't forget his misgivings. "Quidditch is different," he said finally. "What if I bungle being Head Boy?"

"You won't," Lily said confidently. "Being a leader, it comes naturally to you… Look at it this way. Those best suited for power like this, are the ones who have never really sought it. Those who have leadership thrust upon them and take up the mantle because they must, often find out that they wear it well…"

"What is this, 'great quote day'?" James asked as the corners of his mouth twitched. Lily laughed and said, "Maybe… Look, all I'm trying to tell you is that being Head Boy isn't that different from being Quidditch Captain. You're a natural leader – Dumbledore sees it, your Mum sees it, and I see it too. You're going to do great – I believe in you." She gave him another smile before going back to her food.

James studied the beautiful girl in front of him, his misgivings simply melting away… _She said she believed in me. She won't say that unless she has a good reason for doing so… Which means she_ does _believe in me!_ He smiled and said, "Thank you, Lily. I think I'm going to be all right."

"Don't mention it," she said, returning his grin. "You go out there – and you be the best damned Head Boy Hogwarts has ever seen."

"I will," said James firmly. "It's a challenge, isn't it? Well, I believe I can do it – so, there!" He began to eat with renewed vigour. "I see what you did there," he added, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "You made me believe I could do this, didn't you? Shows how good a leader _you_ are, too!"

"Well – I never doubted that, now, did I?" she replied, an uncharacteristic twinkle in her eyes. James gave her a surprised sort of laugh, saying, "Wow, arrogance, really?"

"Nah – just self-confidence," she responded, winking at him, "Something I learned from you." He nodded at her, grinning, and went back to his food, feeling a lot more assured that he could do this. Dumbledore, his Mum, even Lily believed in him, and he was going to make them all proud…

James and Lily stopped by Sirius's flat that afternoon, and were unsurprised to find Liz there as well. Much to James's chagrin, Sirius laughed himself silly when he heard James's news; he wasted no time telling Remus and Peter, who proceeded to Floo to the flat immediately to have some fun at James's expense, much to Lily and Liz's amusement. They all spent the rest of the day there, and ended up playing Exploding Snap for hours; Liz made dinner (Lily happily assisted her, and learnt a couple of household spells in the process), and they all went down to Florean Fortescue's for ice cream. James had to admit that it had been a wonderful day he'd got to spend with Lily, and he was already looking forward to the next time that could happen. He shook his head; his feelings for her were stronger than ever, and he didn't regret his decision of splitting up from Ollie, however hard it may have been…

James dropped Lily off with a promise to meet at platform nine-and-three-quarters at ten-forty-five on September the First, so that she could give him a quick crash course on what he was supposed to do that day. He offered to come earlier, but she reassured him that it wouldn't take her more than five minutes to tell him what needed to be done. Relieved, he hugged her goodbye and Apparated to his house, just in time to join his parents for dinner. It had been a surprisingly early night for Mr Potter, and he beamed at James as soon as the latter sat down at the dining table. "Well done, son!" he exclaimed, "Head Boy – we're _so_ proud!"

James caught the touch of mirth in his father's voice, and replied, "Blimey, thanks, Dad – but you weren't expecting something like this, were you? That makes two of us!" He laughed.

Mr Potter gave a rich chuckle and said, "Safe to say none of us expected it." Mrs Potter frowned at Mr Potter, who added quickly, "But – we're sure you're going to be a great Head Boy!" Mrs Potter smiled and said, "Seconded."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around," said James dryly. "I was nervous about it when I got the badge, Dad – I was sure it was a mistake. But – after talking to Mum and Lily, I realised that I can do this!"

"'Course you can," said Mr Potter, sounding rather upbeat as he ate, and James suspected that it was not only because of his news, prompting him to ask, "What's going on, Dad? Something good happen at work?"

Mr Potter's grin grew even wider, if that was even possible. "Well, son," he said brightly, "Today – we managed to apprehend no less than five Death Eaters… As well as two Knights of Walpurgis, including Selwyn and Avery!"

"That's great, Dad!" James exclaimed. "Hang on – is this Avery related to the one in my year at Hogwarts? And there was a Selwyn in the year ahead of mine, too!" he added excitedly.

"I believe they're relatives of your schoolmates, certainly" said Mr Potter, nodding. "Must be uncles or something – anyway, it's a big win for the Auror Department, Avery was wanted for being a co-conspirator in several attacks last year. I'm going to try my best to get him to talk before he gets carted off to Azkaban – which won't be easy, given his brother's influence."

"Why can't we use _our_ influence, Dad?" James asked thoughtfully.

Mr Potter shook his head and said, "Well, son – you know that there are twenty-eight families in the Wizarding world that are considered to be sacred – Malfoy, Crabbe, Longbottom and Crouch, to name a few. These are old and rich Wizarding families, and through several generous donations to the Ministry over the years, they have managed to gain a lot of influence over Ministry dealings. The Avery family is one such family – which is why, I'm cynical about getting a verdict in our favour; but if we're able to extract enough useful information from the man we've caught, I'll consider that a win."

James silently mulled over his father's words. It seemed completely unfair that the Aurors did all the hard work for apprehending dangerous wizards and witches, putting their lives on the line time and again – only for those scumbags to walk free. _This has to change_ , he thought furiously. But how was it going to be possible? _No wonder Voldemort got them to join him_ , he thought. _He knows that if any of his supporters get caught by the Ministry, they'd virtually walk scot-free more than half the time…_ In this way, Voldemort could demoralize the Wizarding world more and more, and eventually take over the Ministry. Was this what fate had in store for them?

"No," he said firmly, and his parents stopped talking to each other and gave him curious glances. "No," he repeated, "These people can't walk free – they just _can't_. They deserve punishment… And there is a way to do that."

"Defeat Voldemort?" Mr Potter asked, a little smirk on his face.

"Yep," said James matter-of-factly, and Mr Potter shook his head. "Easier said than done – but we're going to keep trying, aren't we?" he said, and James nodded vigorously.

"But – you don't have to worry about that for now," continued Mr Potter lightly. "It's your final year at Hogwarts – and from what I know, you're going to have a couple of things to look forward to in addition to the usual!"

"Oh, really?" said James eagerly. "Do tell, Dad!"

"Nah – Dumbledore will do it anyway, I don't want to ruin the surprise," replied Mr Potter with a twinkle in his eye, and Mrs Potter grinned. "I agree," she said, and James rolled his eyes; he spent the rest of the meal trying to get his parents to tell him what it was, but they remained tight-lipped. Finally, James gave up, and headed off to bed after helping his Mum clear the table… _I suppose I'll find out soon enough_ , he thought as he drifted off to sleep. _Soon enough…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

September the First dawned bright and sunny. James felt his mood (which had been a little sad due to the end of the summer holidays; he was going to miss playing football) lift; the day seemed to be full of new promise, and he was determined to do well on his first day as Head Boy. He readied himself with a sense of purpose, and it was nearly ten-thirty when Mrs Potter called out to him; a smile on his face, he Levitated his trunk behind him, and made his way to his Mum, who was standing next to the fireplace.

"All set?" she asked, and he nodded. "Your Dad told me to wish you a safe and fruitful year at Hogwarts," she continued, "Now – c'mon, let's go!"

James followed his Mum out of Potter Mansion, taking one last look at his home before exiting the protection of the wards. "May I?" he said, offering his hand to his mother, who sighed and said, "Fine – but don't do it rashly, I don't want to bring up that nice breakfast!" She took his hand nonetheless, and he grinned. "A little faith, Mum," he said breezily; handing Seraphina's cage to Mrs Potter, he gripped his trunk tightly in his other hand and spun once around the spot –

He materialised right onto Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters almost immediately, and looked around with a grin; the sight of the scarlet engine always gave him a satisfying sense of anticipation. "Not bad," Mrs Potter said, "I have a few comments about the technique, but you're getting better at it."

"I know," said James, giving his Mum a little wink; she rolled her eyes but chose to ignore his comment. "Now – be good," she said a little sternly as he opened his trunk and removed the set of robes he'd neatly folded and kept on top of all his other possessions. He donned them quickly before turning to his Mum and saying, "How do I look?"

"Handsome as always," said Mrs Potter, her eyes twinkling. James grinned and pinned the Head Boy badge to his robes, waving to a couple of fifth-year girls who were eyeing him interestedly. "My, you just went up a notch on the overall desirability scale," commented Mrs Potter, causing him to blush. "C'mon, Mum," he said, "You know that doesn't matter to me – there's only one girl I'd like to be with."

"And here she comes," said Mrs Potter, grinning widely as she gazed at someone over James's shoulder. James wheeled around quickly, and his face split into a wide grin as he noticed an amused Lily walking towards him with a disgruntled-looking Liz in tow. Both of them were wearing their Hogwarts robes.

"But c'mon," Liz said as she and Lily reached James and his Mum, "She could've at least told me – I mean, what was the point of taking the bloody London Underground? Character-building, pah!"

"Liz just found out that one can Apparate directly onto Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters," Lily supplied helpfully, and James wrinkled his forehead. "'Course – Mum or Dad have always Side-Along-Apparated me here," he said, before giving Liz a wicked sort of smile. "Blimey, Hunt – _you_ didn't know that?"

"For your information, Mum told me you _can't_ – so I never really questioned it, and assumed that everyone got here by the Knight Bus or Muggle transport!" Liz replied tetchily as Lily hugged Mrs Potter in greeting. "And I don't care for the Knight Bus – ergo, I've always used Muggle transport!" she added, greeting Mrs Potter with a hug as well.

"Well, Liz – perhaps your Mum wanted you to rough it," said Mrs Potter, "Maybe try to understand how Muggles get by without magic."

Liz shrugged. "Maybe… But she didn't have to trick me!" she said indignantly.

"Would you have done it otherwise?" Mrs Potter asked shrewdly.

Liz thought for a moment before her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Touché," she said sheepishly, and Mrs Potter chuckled in merriment as Lily and James laughed. "Ooh, looking sharp, James – that badge suits you," said Lily, and James gave her a wide grin. "Oh – hang on," he said as a thought struck him, "So – now that you're Head Girl, who's the Gryffindor seventh-year girl Prefect?"

Lily smiled, but it was Liz who responded instead. "You're talking to her," she said, giving him a little wink as she pinned a red-and-gold badge to her robes; it had the letter 'P' on it. "No way!" James exclaimed, hugging her in elation before drawing back and fixing her with an accusatory sort of glance. "So… You took the mickey out of _me_ for becoming Head Boy – when _you'd_ been made Prefect, too?" he asked indignantly, and she had the grace to look abashed. "Lily knew – and you'd have found out eventually," she said placatingly, and James shook his head. Before he could retort, however, Lily said quickly, " _Anyway_ – we should all find a compartment to dump our trunks, and go to the Prefects' compartment. We have to address the Prefects, James."

"Oh – right," said James, just as Sirius came up to them all, grinning widely as he pushed a trolley with his trunk on it. "Top of the morning to you all," he said, giving Liz a quick kiss. "Now, I suppose you three want me to look for an empty compartment, stash your trunks in it, and wait for Moony and Wormtail?"

"What a productive use of Legilimency," said James dryly, and everyone laughed. Sirius greeted Mrs Potter affectionately before mock-saluting the others and Levitating their trunks and owl cages behind him. "Right, Jamie – have a good term," said Mrs Potter, and proceeded to kiss him quickly on the cheek, much to his embarrassment. "Mum," he protested softly, and Mrs Potter grinned. "Well – your friends ought to know what a Mama's Boy you are, son," she said impishly, drawing similar grins from Liz and Lily, too. "Right – see you at Christmas!" he said quickly, not wanting to give his friends any more reason to tease him; he gave his Mum a final, little wave before following Lily and Liz onto the train. Lily led the way to the Prefects' compartment, which was as spacious as it was empty; James took a seat next to the window at once, but Lily gently shoved him out of it. "We have to sit there," she said, pointing at two seats in the centre of the compartment. James made a face and obeyed; taking his seat, he said, "Well – they're all tardy…"

"It's ten-fifty, they'll be getting here soon," said Lily, as Liz happily took James's window seat. Remus walked in at that moment, and with a wave at everyone and a wink at James, he sat down next to Liz and engaged her in conversation. By and by, the rest of the Prefects arrived, and as the train began to move, every seat was full. James took in everyone's faces and nodded to a few people he knew before his eyes met Ollie's; she gave him a tentative sort of smile which he returned, glad that things weren't too weird between them. Ollie glanced at Lily before giving James a wink and a smirk; he hastily turned away and locked eyes with Snape instead, and was unsurprised to see the usual look of loathing on the face of his nemesis, a look which James returned with interest…

"Right – now that we're all here, let us begin," said Lily, and James quickly tore his eyes away from Snape's black ones in order to focus on her. "I'm Lily Evans, this is James Potter –" continued Lily, and James raised a hand in greeting, "—and we're your Head students this year." A few people nodded, and Lily went on, "You have all been chosen by the teachers for this particular responsibility… It is your job to see it through." James noticed that she was talking mostly to the fifth-year Prefects, and understood; they were new to this just like him, and required the most guidance. He marvelled at Lily's ability to hold the attention of her audience.

"As a Prefect, it is your duty to conduct yourself worthy of someone holding a position of responsibility," Lily continued. "These responsibilities include patrolling the corridors at Hogwarts, attending Prefect meetings, and generally maintaining discipline throughout the school. The fifth-year Prefects are also supposed to lead the first-years to their common rooms at the end of the start-of-term banquet. Plus, Prefects also have the power to hand out detentions, and take away points – from their own House only, that is. However, Prefects cannot award points… That power lies only with myself and the Head Boy," she added, giving James a sideways glance. He nodded and grinned at her, and she spared him a little smirk before saying, "Now – there are certain advantages of becoming a Prefect. You can use the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor whenever you fancy a nice, hot bath. The password is 'bubbles', and there's a wide array of scents you can use –"

"A good idea that some of us should consider," interrupted James, speaking up for the first time and staring pointedly at Snape; a few of the Prefects chuckled, and Snape flushed. Before he could say anything, however, Lily ploughed on hastily, "Yes, _thank you_ , James. On that note, I'd like to conclude this meeting, unless – James, d'you have anything to add?" She gave him an enquiring sort of glance.

"Thanks, Lily – I think you covered most of it," said James, smiling at her before turning to everyone else. "Don't worry – I'm new to this, too, and I don't have any experience as a Prefect," he said, "But – I'm willing to learn, and I'm sure that you all are going to enjoy yourselves, too. Remember one thing, though: power can corrupt. You have all been deemed worthy of it, so – use it well." Everyone glanced at each other before nodding in assent.

"Thank you, James," said Lily, much more sincerely this time. "The first Prefects' meeting will be Tuesday night, in the Heads' Office – that's on the sixth floor. That's when we'll be providing the patrol timetable to you all. Also, fifth-years – please patrol the train occasionally until we get to Hogwarts. It'll be a good training exercise for you before your duties start. Right – that'll be all, you may go."

One by one, the group of Prefects dispersed, some of them giving James the thumb-up as they exited the compartment. Snape glared at Lily as he stood up, causing James to bristle; however, he left silently, followed by his fellow Prefect Ashley Bond, who nodded appreciatively at James, indicating the badge on his chest. He acknowledged the compliment with a nod of his own, and Ashley spared him a small smile before walking out of the compartment. Finally, only James, Lily, Remus and Liz remained.

"So – how was your first meeting at the enforcers-of-all-the-rules, Prongs?" Remus asked James in amusement. James grinned and said, "Didn't have much to do, did I? Lily's a natural at this!" He gave Lily an admiring glance, and she blushed. "C'mon – I'm used to this, that's all," she said, and he laughed. " _Born_ for this, more like," he teased, and Liz and Remus chuckled as Lily flushed even more before turning away determinedly and asking, "C'mon – shall we go back to the compartment I'm sure Black's found by now?"

"Yep," said Liz, and the four of them made their way down the train until they spotted a compartment with Sirius, Marlene and Peter inside, playing what looked like an enthusiastic game of Exploding Snap. "Hey," James greeted as they walked in, and Sirius looked up. "Well, well, look who it is!" he said, his face splitting into an evil grin. "The prodigal son, the one who said that 'Only Prats become Prefects' – looks like you've joined the prat bandwagon, Prongs!"

The others laughed as they sat down, and James smiled. "So has your girlfriend," James pointed out, and Sirius snorted. "That's fine – I get a lot of sugar from her, so all is forgiven," he said, and planted a quick kiss on Liz's lips, an act that was returned with enthusiasm. Sirius faced him and said, "Well – you do that, and maybe I'll forgive you, too," he joked, drawing snorts from the girls and retching noises from Remus and Peter.

"Y'know – I could give you a detention for asinine comments, Padfoot," James responded with a grin, causing Sirius to guffaw loudly. "You wouldn't dare!" he proclaimed, and James's grin grew wider. "I could make you scrub all the bedpans in the Hospital Wing without magic," he said, winking at his best friend, laughing as Sirius's face showed horror. "You want to be careful!"

Sirius shook his head and went back to his game, muttering something about traitorous best friends. James engaged the others in a discussion regarding the lull in the attacks from Voldemort and his group of supporters, and whether it meant that they were planning something big. Marlene tentatively suggested that it could also mean that their own side was winning the war, but James remained pessimistic; if that had been the case, he was sure that the Ministry would've made an advertisement out of it. Nay, it had to be the first possibility…

The afternoon wore on as the train chugged its way northwards, and it was still daylight when it began to slow down. James followed Remus, Liz and Lily as they made their way to a door, and exited the train before everyone else at Hogsmeade station. "Firs'-years this way!" called a most familiar voice, and James waved at Hagrid before imitating Lily and shepherding the first-years towards the gamekeeper. Finally, when most of the students had taken a horseless carriage to Hogwarts, James got into one with his companions (Sirius and Marlene had volunteered to carry their owls) with a feeling of mingled relief and satisfaction; his baptism as Head Boy hadn't gone badly, and he was glad to be back at Hogwarts.

After entering the Great Hall, James and the others made their way to the Gryffindor table where Sirius was already seated. Mary MacDonald looked up as they sat down, and said appreciatively, "Hey – nice going, James, I heard! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Mary," replied James, grinning. "Where were you? We didn't even see you on the train!"

"Er – I was riding with Roger," said Mary, blushing as she spoke. "I did drop in on everyone earlier – but you were in the Prefects' compartment at the time –"

"As was Roger," interrupted James, "Which is why, it was the perfect opportunity… Can't bear to spend a moment away from him, can we?" Mary went redder, as Sirius and Peter laughed loudly.

"Ssshhh," said Lily, and James quietened down at once, simultaneously glancing towards Professor McGonagall, who was glaring at a few talking students at the Hufflepuff table. The chatter died down at once; Professor McGonagall set down a little stool in front of her, and placed an old, pointed hat on top of it. The Hat sprung to life at once, and burst into song; James listened carefully, eager to hear what it had to say; predictably, the Hat warned everyone about the dangers that lurked outside the castle, and how they should all show a powerful bond of unity and trust to ensure triumph over the common foe. _Yeah, fat chance_ , thought James darkly, glancing over at the Slytherin table as he spoke; Mulciber and Snape were deep in conversation, and he had a nasty feeling that they were up to no good…

The Sorting Hat bowed to all four tables after its song, and went silent. Professor McGonagall invited the first-years to try it on one by one, and James clapped enthusiastically as about ten new students joined the Gryffindor table. Once the Sorting ceremony ended, Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts, new students! And for our older hands, welcome back! Let the feast begin!"

"Hear, hear!" Sirius and Peter shouted cheerfully as the plates on the table filled magically with food; James engaged himself in light conversation with Remus, who began to give him a few tips on how best to execute his newly-acquired responsibility. "I dunno – I'm sorry, Moony," he said as the last bits of dinner vanished and the puddings appeared, "You deserve this badge more than me –"

"Don't give me that rubbish, Prongs," Remus replied firmly. "You're a better candidate than I am… Why, you're a natural leader, an excellent student, a –"

"Born troublemaker!" interrupted James, "Didn't I swear to reject all authority once?"

Remus grinned. "Yeah, well – you grew up, mate. Things change as you grow up."

James shook his head. "See – this is why you should've been Head Boy. You're a wise bloke –"

"Wisdom is something one acquires, not what one is born with," said Remus sagely. "Mark my words, mate – you're going to be fine."

"I hope so," said James, just as Lily turned towards them. "Is he whining about being Head Boy again, Remus?" she asked shrewdly, and Remus grinned. "Yep," he said, "How did you know?"

"Not the first time it's happened," said Lily, her amusement in her emerald-green eyes. "Y'know, I always thought James was so effortlessly confident – looks like we've found his weakness, haven't we? Perhaps your Boggart will be a Head Boy badge," she added dryly, and Remus laughed. "Or a scene where he's awarded detention," he suggested, and James snorted. "I'm never afraid of detention," he declared.

"Oh, yeah?" Lily countered, an evil grin on her face. "Not even if the said detention is to clean the toilets in the Slytherin common room, without magic?"

"Ugh, _disgusting!_ " exclaimed James, pushing away his treacle tart as Lily and Remus exchanged overhead claps, laughing heartily. " _Anyway_ – I'm Head Boy, no one can give _me_ a detention –"

"Teachers can," Lily pointed out. "And as Head Girl, so can _I_ – which means that if you put a toe outside the line as Head Boy, you know the consequences –"

"You wouldn't!" James exclaimed, only partly sure that she was joking. Her grin grew wider, and she said, "Well – are you brave enough to find out?"

Peter laughed and paused halfway through what was probably his fifth helping of raspberry jelly. "Ooh, c'mon, Prongs," he said, winking at James, "It'll be a golden opportunity to Hex everyone's soaps and shampoo!" Sirius and Remus burst out laughing, but before James could respond, Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall gradually went silent. The last bits of pudding magically disappeared, including the jelly in Peter's bowl, much to his disappointment and the others' amusement.

"Well, now that we've all been sufficiently fed and watered," said the Headmaster, and James was sure that his eyes were twinkling, "There are a few announcements… The Forbidden Forest, which lies just beyond Hagrid's house, is out of bounds for every student. Magic in the corridors is prohibited – it is enough to get you a detention and cost your House a few points. Finally, the list of banned items at Hogwarts can be found in Mr Filch's office, in which several more items have been added…"

James was starting to feel comfortably drowsy when Lily nudged him; he sat up quickly just as Dumbledore announced, "Our Head Students for the year – Miss Lily Evans and Mr James Potter, both of Gryffindor House!" James and Lily stood up to a smattering of applause, and James stole a glance at the Slytherin table; he wasn't surprised to find several mutinous faces there, and figured that he'd react the same way if both Head Students had been from Slytherin. _Ha, like_ that _day will ever come_ , he thought, a little disdainfully…

Dumbledore was speaking again, and James sat down at once. The Headmaster continued, "And finally – I would like to announce the inception of an event that will be taking place throughout this year, an event that Hogwarts will have the honour to co-host. This will be a first-of-its-kind event, and it is yet uncertain if it will ever be held in the future – much of that depends on the reception to its inaugural edition. The British Ministry of Magic is collaborating with the Ministries of several other countries – France, West Germany, Spain, and Italy, as well as the Ministries for the regions of Scandinavia and Benelux. It is with great pleasure to inform you that this event is a – Triangular Quidditch Tournament, between the three major Wizarding schools of Europe – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."

There was a second of stunned silence before the Great Hall broke out in a babble of excited chatter. James, too, was astonished; he hadn't heard anything even remotely akin to a Triangular Quidditch Tournament between League teams, let alone National teams… But the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. _Just imagine – the best players from the school,_ all _on the same side_ , he thought… _It would be amazing, wouldn't it?_ "This tournament sounds great!" he exclaimed, and his friends concurred. "For once, the Ministry has made a good decision," said Sirius. "A Triangular Quidditch Tournament is the best way to decide which school has the best Quidditch team!"

"Tch, tch – c'mon, Blackie, surely you aren't as naïve as to believe that this is only about the best Quidditch team?" said Liz, shaking her head.

"What d'you mean, Lizzie?" Sirius asked, wrinkling his forehead, but before she could answer, Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the chatter died down once again. "Right – the Triangular Quidditch tournament, or 3QT as it's being colloquially referred to all over Europe, will involve seven matches… Each school team will play every other school team, once at home and once away. The top two teams will play in the final – at our very own Tilbury Stadium, in London."

James exchanged excited glances with Sirius, Liz and Marlene; they looked as enthusiastic as he felt, and his face split into a wide grin. "Madam Hooch will be the coach of the Hogwarts Quidditch Team – an obvious choice, I might add," continued Dumbledore, and there was laughter mixed with loud applause as Madam Hooch stood up and gave everyone a tiny wave. James clapped hard, too; Madam Hooch was an excellent flying instructor, and he had no doubt whatsoever that she would prove to be an outstanding coach, too. He wondered who would be Captain, though…

"And now – for the Captain," Dumbledore said, and the Great Hall went deadly quiet. James received pointed glances from Liz, Lily, Sirius and Marlene, and he held his breath as Dumbledore ploughed on, "After due deliberation, the Heads of House, Madam Hooch, and myself have selected the student who would have the honour to lead the Hogwarts Quidditch team. Please welcome –" James drew in a deep breath, hoping that his name would be called out, "—Captain of the defending Quidditch Cup Champions, Ashley Bond!"

James's mouth fell open as the Slytherin table erupted with cheers and applause; Ashley Bond may be a half-blood, but she was clearly popular, having won the Cup last year. He stared at Ashley with narrowed eyes as she walked up to the teachers' table gracefully, before shaking hands with Dumbledore and standing next to him, a wide smirk on her face. The rest of the school began to applaud her, too, but James couldn't bring himself to do it; for a moment, he'd been quite sure that _he_ would be the one chosen to lead the Hogwarts Quidditch Team. "Dammit!" he exclaimed, "I'd much rather be Hogwarts Captain than Head Boy – if this 3QT was going to happen this year, why couldn't Dumbledore have made _me_ Captain instead?"

"I dunno, mate," said Sirius, who seemed as astonished as him, "But Dumbledore must have a good reason –"

"Pah!" exclaimed James, earning himself sympathetic glances from Liz, Marlene and Peter, but it was Lily who spoke. "I agree with Black," she said resolutely, "Dumbledore doesn't do things randomly –"

But at that moment, the Headmaster said, "Yes, thank you – we're all sure that Miss Bond will lead us to glory! Miss Bond – do you accept this honour?"

"I do, Professor," said Ashley clearly, to more applause from the rest of the school. Dumbledore chuckled and said, "Well – I leave it to your discretion to choose the best possible team to represent our school." Ashley nodded eagerly, and walked back to her seat amid the clapping students. She didn't seem to notice lack of enthusiasm at the Gryffindor table.

"One final detail – the tournament opening ceremony will take place on the last Friday of September, with the first match being played on the next day – where our school will face off against the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, at our very own Quidditch pitch," said Dumbledore. "Right – that brings us to the end of tonight's feast… Sleep well, for you have a full day of classes tomorrow! Chop chop!"

There was a sudden scraping noise as people began to get up, and someone tapped James's shoulder. "C'mon – we're supposed to meet Dumbledore in his office," said Lily, and he stood up at once. Lily turned to Remus and said, a little worriedly, "I was supposed to tell the fifth-year Prefects that they were supposed to take the first-years to Gryffindor tower –"

"Don't worry, I have it covered," said Remus reassuringly, and Lily smiled at him in thanks. "All right, you're the man, Moony," said James, clapping his friend on the back. "See you later!" he added, and with a wave to the others, he followed Lily into the Entrance Hall. They set off briskly in the general direction of Dumbledore's office in silence, deep in thought… Until James could bear it no longer.

"Why didn't he make _me_ Captain?" he burst out, with a pleading undertone in his annoyance. "I would've done a great job, he knows that!"

"We all do," said Lily soothingly, "But you're already Head Boy, see? To be Hogwarts Captain in addition to that would've been too much!"

"So why make me Head Boy? You know I'd much rather be –"

"I _know_ ," said Lily patiently, "I understand, all right? Maybe he wanted you to, I dunno, have a different kind of experience? You've already proven that you're an excellent Captain –"

"Not good enough," James snapped. "It was a costly penalty miss from Marlene – but more than that, it's your stupid ex-boyfriend's inability to save a single goal –"

"Enough," Lily said sharply, and James regretted his words immediately; he knew that he'd touched a nerve. "Sorry – I didn't mean to snap," he said shamefacedly, and she gave him a little smile. "Forget it," she said, "I've heard worse…" She paused, then continued, "Look, James – I know that you'd have been an asset to the Hogwarts team as Captain. Now, things didn't exactly go your way, but c'mon – this way, you'll learn how to handle a whole new set of responsibilities. I know how much you like a challenge, James…" She smiled at him. "Someone wise once told me that challenges make life interesting…"

Despite himself, James felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth. Hadn't he said that very same to her, several years ago? _She remembers!_ he thought jubilantly. "I'm flattered that you think I'm wise," he said wryly. "Now – don't you ever forget that." He laughed, and she joined in. "I'll try not to," she said with a straight face, and the pair of them chuckled as they came up to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Hmm – let's see," said James, scratching his chin, "What could the password be this time? How about – Liquorice Wand?"

The gargoyle remained static, and Lily said, "Let me try – Never-Melt Ice Cream?"

Nothing happened, and James said, "Hmm, perhaps it is Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans –"

"Or perhaps," said a voice from behind them, "It is – Cockroach Cluster."

The gargoyle sprang to life and moved aside, and James and Lily wheeled around to see Dumbledore standing right behind them, smiling benignly. "You're both right on time," he said, and walked past them towards the spiral staircase that led to his office. James followed, with Lily half a pace behind him; he wondered what extra instructions the Headmaster was going to give them, and debated whether he should ask Dumbledore why he, James, had been made Head Boy instead of Hogwarts Quidditch Captain.

"So – I trust the two of you had a good train ride?" Dumbledore asked when they were all seated. James nodded, and Lily said eagerly, "Yes, Professor – we explained the duties and responsibilities to all Prefects, and we're going to make up patrol timetables during Tuesday's meeting…"

"Already hard at work, I see," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling, and Lily blushed. "Anyway – I have some additional instructions for the two of you," the Headmaster continued, "It is your responsibility as Head Students to patrol the castle every night – from eleven o'clock to midnight, after the Prefects have finished their patrol." James nodded in understanding, feeling suddenly exhilarated, all annoyance gone… Spending an hour of quality time with Lily every night? Hmm, maybe being Head Boy wasn't so bad after all…

"In addition, as Head Students, you also gain access to the Heads' Quarters," Dumbledore said, and James raised his eyebrows. Heads' Quarters? Where in the world were they, and why hadn't he heard of them before now? He focused on the Headmaster as the latter went on, "The Heads' Quarters consist of a small, private common room with two bedrooms – one each for the Head Students. The entrance to the Quarters is inside the Heads' Office – behind the portrait of Antoine l'ambitieux, who was a trusted wizard in service of William the Conqueror. It is, however, your discretion whether to use the Heads' Quarters or not. Entrance for other students is only possible when one of the Head Students accompanies them."

"So – we're going to be sharing living quarters?" Lily asked Dumbledore, blushing as she glanced at James. He grinned as Dumbledore responded, "Not if you don't want to, Miss Evans… I assure you, it will be just like your dormitory, only smaller and more private."

"Sounds great," said James, "I wouldn't mind moving all my stuff there tonight itself, before I've even unpacked –"

"What, and ditch the others – just like that?" Lily interrupted, raising her eyebrows. James scratched his chin and said, "Hmm, you're right, it may get kind of dull with no one around –"

"You don't have to decide right now," said Dumbledore, smiling patiently at him.

"Right, Sir," said James, making his decision in a flash. "Er – Sir," he added tentatively, "If you don't mind me asking – why did you decide to make me Head Boy, and not the Hogwarts Quidditch Team Captain? I mean – I wasn't even Prefect, and I have loads of experience in captaining a Quidditch team – maybe I'd have been a better fit to lead the Hogwarts Team…"

He ignored Lily as she made a small, resigned noise, and concentrated on the Headmaster instead. Dumbledore continued to smile as he said, "I gave that matter a lot of thought, James – and I do agree with you wholeheartedly. However – it is also my opinion that you will be more of an asset as Head Boy, which is why you were given that responsibility."

Ignoring the 'Ha!' from Lily, James remained silent as Dumbledore added, "Besides – there is another, much more critical reason that you've been appointed as Head Boy."

"What is that, Sir?" James asked, leaning in curiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lily imitate him, confusion in her eyes.

"To understand that, I must ask you both a question first," said Dumbledore softly. James and Lily waited with bated breaths for a couple seconds before the Headmaster spoke again.

"What do you know about the Order of the Phoenix?"

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 **Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long, I was writing this and the next chapter in parallel, with the hope that I could post them within a couple days of each other. However, I abandoned the effort and decided to go ahead and post this first. The next chapter is halfway done, btw… Hopefully I can upload it by the end of the month! Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, Guest, CB, JainRidhi and Pratha! Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! Here is the next one, hope you like it!

 **Guest:** Thanks!

 **CB:** Thanks, I plan to. For some reason I can't see your review, but I know you posted one because I got it in my email. Have fun reading this chapter!

 **JainRidhi:** Thanks! Your wait is over!

 **Pratha:** Thanks! The reason for these things taking place will be explained as the story goes along!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

" **This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."**

"The Order of the Phoenix?" repeated Lily, raising her eyebrows, wondering what on earth Dumbledore was talking about. She gave James a quick sideways glance, and was surprised to see the small, purposeful smile on his face. _Hmm, he knows what this Order thing is_ , she thought. Facing the Headmaster, she said, "Er – no, Professor, but it looks like James has."

James's grin grew wider, and Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm not surprised," he said, "James has a way to get the information he wants, don't you, James?"

"You flatter me, Professor," said James cheerfully, and Dumbledore chuckled again. Feeling a little left out, Lily asked, "Er – so, what _is_ the Order of the Phoenix?"

"It is a secret society founded with one and one mission only – to defeat Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "It is an organisation that operates in utmost covertness, working with the Ministry (though unbeknownst to them) against Lord Voldemort and his supporters. Indeed, several of the Order's members are Ministry of Magic employees… Aurors, mainly, who participate in more secretive, sudden assaults against the Dark Side."

Lily sat with rapt attention, hanging on to Dumbledore's every word. She still wasn't sure why Dumbledore was telling her and James about the Order, especially since it sounded like the more prudent option would be to maintain its secrecy… Unless –

"You want us to join the Order, don't you, Professor?" she said shrewdly, tilting her neck as she surveyed the Headmaster, who smiled. "Remarkably quick on the uptake, aren't you, Miss Evans?" he said, and James laughed. "I dunno, Professor," he said, "It should've been pretty obvious – otherwise, why would you even mention the Order to us?"

"Well, _excuuuuse_ me – but not all of us have been raised by people in the Order," Lily responded, a little huffily. James's face showed surprise, and she added triumphantly, "Ha – how else would you know about it?"

"Well – I sort of overheard a couple of meetings over the years," said James, looking a little guiltily towards Dumbledore. "I was planning to approach you to join the Order as soon as I graduated, Professor – but looks like you beat me to it."

Dumbledore smiled benignly before giving both Lily and James that familiar, penetrating stare, giving Lily the feeling that he could see right through them. "Well – since you are both adults, now is as good a time as any to ask you if you want to join the Order of the Phoenix after you graduate," he said, looking inquiringly at them both. "You don't have to make your decision immediately –"

"That's all right, Professor," interrupted James, "I would like to join. Ever since I overheard those meetings between you and my parents, it's all I've ever wanted to do. Besides, all I want to do is to see Voldemort defeated, and the Order will allow me to participate in that battle… It's a no-brainer, isn't it?"

"I didn't expect anything less from you, James," Dumbledore replied proudly. "I see that you have given this matter a lot of thought – which is why, I assume that telling you to think this through would be unnecessary?"

"If I may be frank, Sir – yes," said James wryly, and Dumbledore shook his head, smiling. "You're truly your father's son, James," he said, and Lily heard the note of pride in his voice. James glowed, and she admired how easily he'd made the decision… Would she have been able to do the same thing? She frowned, thinking hard – before it struck her, too. _James_ hadn't made the decision easily; on the contrary, it had been an _easy_ decision on its own…

"I shall join too, Professor," she said, and Dumbledore and James both turned to face her. "It's like James said – it's a no-brainer. And besides –" she closed her eyes before continuing, "—You-Know-Who is targeting Muggles and Muggleborns, and I want to fight back. This war – it's personal to me – which is why, if I'm being offered an opportunity which allows me to fight, I'm going to take it," she finished firmly, staring right into Dumbledore's blue eyes.

The old man smiled. "Well – to be honest with you, Lily, this wasn't unexpected… However, you agreed to join much faster than I thought you would…"

"Like I said, Professor, this is personal," Lily replied clearly.

"I understand," said Dumbledore. "It's clear that I made the right choice appointing the two of you as Head Students," he added proudly, and Lily smiled in acknowledgement. Dumbledore continued, "Now, tell me, is your decision final?"

"Yes," Lily and James replied in unison, giving each other appreciative sideways glances.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore briskly. "Then – there is one more favour I shall ask of you. By tomorrow night, I would like a list of seventh-year students who are the likeliest to accept my offer of joining the Order of the Phoenix – from each of you. The two of you are to make your lists individually, and I shall speak to the students whose names feature on both lists first, followed by the others. The first meeting for all seventh-year students who consent to join – will take place this Thursday, in a location that I shall disclose to you soon. That will be all for today."

Lily and James stood up together. "We will submit our lists tomorrow, Professor," said Lily, and James nodded in agreement. Dumbledore smiled and said, "Thank you. Now – you should both have a nice long rest tonight, so that you're all set for tomorrow!"

Lily nodded at the Headmaster, and with a little wave, exited his office with James in tow. "So," said James as they began to walk back to the common room, "Are you going to move your stuff to the Heads' Quarters tonight?"

" _That's_ the most important thing which happened in there?" Lily asked him incredulously, indicating Dumbledore's office by pointing her thumb behind her back. James grinned and said, "Well – if we go to the HQ tonight, we can discuss that, too…"

Lily looked away pensively, frowning… She wasn't sure how she was going to feel sharing living quarters with James. She reflected upon their relationship; they were friends, close ones, at that. She liked spending time with him, and she'd genuinely enjoyed hanging out with him throughout the summer… But _living_ with him? That was a different game altogether… Granted, they wouldn't be sharing a bedroom, but they would still be sharing a common room… And what about her friends? She'd been bunking with them for six years, and never once had she felt annoyed enough to just – _leave_. She enjoyed living with them…

 _But it would be nice to have a room to yourself for a change, wouldn't it?_ said the voice inside her head. _You can arrange your table and things the way you want, and study with complete focus and no one to disturb you…_ The seventh year was important, after all, and her Head duties were going to take up quite a bit of her time. It wouldn't hurt to have a quiet place she could come back to every night, would it?

"Knut for your thoughts, Lil," said James, breaking into her thoughts. She smiled distractedly and said, "I'm just weighing the pros and cons of living at the Heads' Quarters –"

"I'll tell you a pro," he interrupted, "You'll be living with me." He gave her a little wink and smirked.

"I'm pretty sure that's a con," she replied dryly, grinning as the smirk on his face was replaced by mild indignation. "Ha ha," he said sarcastically, "But still – it'll be nice to have a private place we can call our own, wouldn't it? We could even host parties there! Oh, yes –" he rubbed his hands together gleefully, "I can see it from now itself… It can be the place we celebrate birthdays and other important events!"

"If the HQ is going to become a party house, I'm not going to live there," said Lily, and James shook his head. "Oh, c'mon – it'll be fun! I promise I'll stay out of your way – happy?"

"Considerably," Lily replied with another grin, trying to hide the butterflies in her stomach; why was she feeling like this? "Look," she continued, forcefully ignoring her internal turmoil, "It certainly sounds great… I'm going to leave some of my stuff in the girls' dorm, and take most of it to the HQ. That way, I can sleep anywhere I please."

"Give it a week – you're going to crash at the HQ permanently, 'coz that's where we'll be returning to after our patrol," said James confidently. "And with the amount of work we have to do in seventh year, with this Order recruitment thing, too – I'm pretty sure you're going to be too _knackered_ to go to Gryffindor tower every night…"

"So – you think we're _recruiting_ members for the Order?" she asked him curiously. "I thought we were just recommending names!"

"Well – _we_ won't be doing the recruiting," said James, "But Dumbledore will… And he values for our opinion, so we should be careful as to whose names we add on the list. And by the way, I second Dumbledore – I was amazed at how quickly you said yes to joining the Order. It was mighty grand of you to do so… I'm proud of you, Lil." He grinned at her admiringly.

"Thank you," she said, blushing, "But – we've had this conversation before, James. I was always going to participate in fighting the war after graduation, come what may… And joining the Order gives me a platform to do it, doesn't it? I mean, don't get me wrong, I certainly intend to find a job to support myself – but I also intend to fight the war at the same time, which made the decision easy."

"A clear and succinct summary," said James, grinning at her. "My reasons are somewhat similar… I can't stand the injustice and the corruption within the Ministry, undoubtedly due to the influence of the pureblood families. I want to _do_ something about it – by hook or by crook. And fighting the war seems the best way to do that – which can only happen if new people join in every day, so there you go."

"Your thoughts are as clear as mine," Lily complimented. "D'you think Dumbledore's going to make the seventh-years on our lists the same offer that he made us – or more?"

"Tsk, obviously it has to be more," said James dismissively. "Ooh, maybe he'll teach us some advanced magic…"

"That'll be great!" Lily exclaimed happily. "Some advanced defensive and offensive magic, and we'll be a force to be reckoned with!"

"We'll be _unstoppable!_ " James said, emphasizing the last word; he actually drew his wand and made slashing movements with it, amusing Lily to the point where she said, "Hey, easy there, Mr Swordsman – you still have a year's worth of learning to do!"

They reached to the Fat Lady at that moment, and James said, "Well – I'll be back downstairs in fifteen minutes – meet me there with your stuff?"

"Yep," said Lily, before turning to the Fat Lady and saying, " _Ortus._ " The portrait hole opened, and the two of them climbed in before going straight towards their respective dormitories. Only Liz was present in hers, though, and her best friend greeted her with a smile and asked, "How was the meeting with Dumbledore, Lil?"

"Nothing much – just additional instructions," said Lily, a little evasively; it wouldn't do to inform Liz about the Order of the Phoenix, not now, anyway. "Did you know that the Head Students have living quarters of their own?" she asked instead, and her best friend raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked curiously, "I didn't know that! Well – neither Mum nor Dad were Head Students… So, I guess they didn't know, either. Where is it?" she added eagerly.

Lily quickly explained, and Marlene arrived just then to catch her every word. "So – to sum up, you and James are going to be living together?" the brunette asked, her eyes mischievous. Liz laughed, and Lily blushed. "Not if I don't want to," she replied, "I mean, I can stay here, you lot are here!"

"So?" Liz asked, "It's not like we're going anywhere, are we? And if you have your own private living space, why not use it?"

"Because – I'll miss you all!" Lily burst out.

"Aww – that's cute," said Liz, and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye as Marlene rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Lily – I think Liz has a point," she said, "You can keep some of your stuff here, and sleep here whenever you feel like it. But I think you should live there – if you're entitled to a facility, why not use it?" she added, echoing Liz.

"I think you two just want me to live in the Heads' Quarters because you think it'll be funny to have me and James sharing a living space," Lily said shrewdly, reddening even more as she spoke. Liz and Marlene laughed, and Liz said, "Well – in part, Lil, 'coz we think you two would make a really cute couple!"

Lily opened her mouth to argue, but Liz shushed her, saying, "Look, you can try it out for a week or so, and see how it goes. Based on that, you can decide… All we're saying is, there's no need to _not_ do something out of apprehension, for you never know if you'd end up liking it after all!"

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Liz," said Marlene, clapping Liz on the back. The pair of them grinned at Lily, who said resignedly, "Fine… I'll live there for a week – but if James drives me up the wall, I'm coming straight back here!"

"Sounds like a plan," said Liz. "We'll keep you bed as it is… And I promise not to drop a deuce on it –"

"You do that, and I'll hex your arse shut!" Lily said threateningly, amid Marlene and Liz's hoots of laughter. Shaking her head at her asinine friends, Lily opened her trunk and removed a few clothes, a roll of parchment and some quills before shutting it again and shrinking it so that it could fit in her pocket. She Charmed it to be feather-light for good measure before lifting it up in her fist. "So – I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow," she said, and Liz and Marlene nodded before descending upon her for a three-way hug. "Have fun!" said Liz, giving her a suggestive wink, and Marlene fake-coughed teasingly; sticking her tongue out at them, Lily exited the dormitory with her shrunken trunk in her pocket.

James met her in the common room with his trunk Levitating behind him; Lily laughed before shrinking and lightening it, and handed it back to him, much to his admiration. "Nice one – didn't think of that," he complimented, and she grinned. "I noticed," she said dryly, before following him out of the common room. They walked towards the Heads' Office in silence, each in their own thoughts, until they entered the spacious office and examined it admiringly before standing in front of the portrait of Antoine l'ambiteux, who regarded them suspiciously.

"Right – what's the password?" James asked, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "You don't know the password?" she asked him, and he clapped a hand on his forehead. "Dammit – Dumbledore didn't tell us!" he exclaimed. "Hmm – guess we'll have to go back to Gryffindor tower now –"

"Nah – if Dumbledore didn't tell us, we need to set it ourselves," said Lily, and James's brow relaxed at once. "D'you know how to do it?" he asked eagerly, and Lily nodded. "'Course – it's one of the first things you learn as a Prefect," she said, a little smugly. Turning to Antoine l'ambiteux, she said, "Hmm… I'd like to set the password as –"

" _Inferno_ ," interrupted James. "I _just_ thought of it," he added as Lily surveyed him curiously, "And I think it sounds cool."

"Well – all right, then," she said, and Antoine l'ambiteux smiled at her as she pointed her wand at him and said, " _Setadcodice 'Inferno'!_ "

" _Tr_ _è_ _s bien_ ," said the portrait, and opened outwards to reveal a room right behind it. "After you," said Lily, grinning at James, who gave her a smile before walking into the room. She followed him and looked around in wonder; it was smaller than the Gryffindor common room, but it looked spacious and cosy. There were a few armchairs near a merrily crackling fire, and a sofa along with a little table lay in the middle of the room. She went to the windows and received a good view of the grounds, illuminated by moonlight. She noticed a staircase on one side of the room, and understood immediately that it must lead to their bedrooms.

"Woah," said James, and promptly threw himself onto the sofa. "This is wicked!"

"I know," said Lily, "Amazing, right? I'm going to explore the bedrooms." She promptly made her way up the staircase, and immediately entered the room on the right; she smiled widely as she saw the four-poster bed, another fireplace, a large table, a comfortable-looking chair, and a big cupboard in the corner. _Oh, I could get used to this_ , she thought contentedly as she explored the spotless bathroom… _This is great!_

"Wow – these rooms are huge!" came James's voice, and she immediately went to his room; it was identical to hers, except for the fact that everything was laterally inverted. "That's it – this is the place I'm going to live," he declared, and promptly lifted the Charms on his trunk and began to unpack. She looked on in amusement as he threw all his things in a heap onto his bed, and he asked her, "So – what about you?"

"Hmm – it's certainly an upgrade to our dormitory, so I'm going to give it a chance," she said, a little vaguely. "Y'know – maybe stay here for a week or so before deciding if I want to make it permanent…"

"Don't lie, you _want_ to live here," he said shrewdly, and she grinned. "Let's wait and watch, shall we?" she replied cryptically, before looking at her watch. "Ooh, we should go to sleep now… I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a full day," she added, and he nodded. "Goodnight, Lily," he said, smiling at her. "If I oversleep tomorrow, please wake me up."

"Ha, that's unlikely – I know how early you're up every day," she said. "And while we're on that – are you going to go jogging tomorrow morning?"

"You know it," he said, grinning crookedly at her, and she responded with a smirk of her own. "Great, I'll join you," she said, "I need to get back into endurance training."

"Eager beaver, aren't you?" he replied, and her grin widened. "I try," she said shortly, before giving him a little wave. "'Night!" she said, and went back to her own room, thinking… James was right, she _did_ want to live here. She didn't know how it was going to be, sharing a living space with him, and she could certainly do without the teasing she knew she'd have to endure… But she was determined to give it a chance.

 _I'll decide in a week_ , she thought as she settled into bed comfortably… _In a week…_

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"'Morning," said Liz as she sat down for breakfast in front of Lily, who smiled at her in greeting. "Wow – you look perky," her best friend added with a wink as Black sat down next to her and promptly engaged James in conversation. Lily's grin widened, and she said, "Oh, it's nothing… Just happy to be back into familiar territory. Plus – James and I jogged this morning, and I hit eighteen rounds for the first time!"

"Wow – that's more than three miles!" Liz said admiringly. "Even at practice James stops us at ten rounds – you must really, _really_ want to raise your stamina!"

"I really do," said Lily. "The more stamina I have, the longer I can last in life-threatening duels – which, trust me, aren't very far away by the looks of it." She sighed. "We'll be out of here in a year, and who knows what's going to happen after that?"

Liz nodded solemnly and took a bite of her toast. "Well – so long as we have Dumbledore, I'm not worried," she said firmly, and Lily nodded in assent. "Besides – the more important question is, what career should I choose? I have the grades to apply for Auror Training, Healer Training, and entry-level positions into a couple of Departments in the Ministry… Blimey, I could even apply to become a Curse-Breaker working for Gringotts, I've been getting E's and O's in Arithmancy and the Runes! Ugh, it's too many options!"

"D'you have a specific preference?" Lily asked, and Liz shook her head. "I dunno… I want to apply for jobs that allow me to stay in Britain so that I can fight the war, too. Then again, I don't really _need_ a job, see? I'm going to apply to ones that don't take much of my time, so that I can fight." She frowned at Lily. "What're you smiling about _now?_ "

"Nothing," said Lily, unable to stop grinning. She felt a warm glow spreading across her body… Her best friend wanted nothing more than to fight the war, and she was ecstatic that their perspectives aligned so much. Oh, Liz's name was _so_ going to the top of her list!

Professor McGonagall came over with their timetables just then, and Lily was quickly cleared for all the classes she'd been taking last year – Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Arithmancy. She looked on proudly as Professor McGonagall said a few words of praise to Peter for his performance in Herbology and Potions (he'd managed to get an 'E' in both); she exchanged a satisfied nod with Black, for it had been their assistance to Peter that had undoubtedly been key in his grades. James caught her eye and gave her an approving grin, causing her spirits to rise even more…

They spent most of the first day revising all that had been taught last year, and thanks to her training in the summer, Lily's spellwork was top-notch, earning her a few points for Gryffindor from Professors McGonagall and Sprout. Lily and Liz sat through an hour of Professor Scalar, their Arithmancy teacher, going through a complicated methodology for predicting plant growth patterns that would result in the best quality potions ingredients from them, and by the end of the class, Lily was seriously beginning to wonder if it had been a good choice to study the subject… She liked it, and she was quite good at it; however, she wasn't sure how much it had _actually_ helped her over the years. She decided to reserve her judgement until the end of the year…

Throughout the day, Lily worked on her list of potential students for the Order of the Phoenix whenever she could. She wasted no time in adding Liz, Marlene, Mary and Marauders to the list; she also added the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Prefects, along with some other students she knew were all right and did well in class – Nate Morgan, Paul Harper, Claire Palmer and Melissa Knight from Ravenclaw, and Mandy Crawford and Jacob Adair from Hufflepuff. She thought for a while before deciding to add a few Slytherins, too – namely Ashley Bond and her friends, Brenda Hastings and Felicity Osbourne. She wasn't sure if they would join – but she felt that they deserved a chance to be asked if they wanted to, and not be dismissed simply because they belonged to the House that had churned out several Dark Wizards in the past, including Voldemort…

After dinner, Lily made her way to the library to get started on her homework. To her surprise, she was joined by Peter, who blushed furiously before giving her a medium-sized, gift-wrapped package; she opened it eagerly, and was thrilled to find a book titled '1001 Wizard's Chess Tactics and Strategies'. "Wow – thanks, Peter, this is amazing!" she exclaimed, earning herself a glare from Madam Pince, the grumpy librarian. "But it isn't my birthday until January!" she added, dropping her voice down to a whisper.

"Nah – this was for helping me with Potions," Peter replied, grinning nervously. "It's the secret to my success – you'll never find a better Chess book, I guarantee it. My Mum was the one who suggested it, actually…"

"Well – thanks, Peter, this is – amazing," said Lily, touched. She remembered the short, slight woman with Peter's watery-blue eyes she'd met at Liz's house, and how Mrs Pettigrew had been very grateful to her for helping her son… _Well, this is a wonderful way to show your gratitude_ , Lily thought cheerfully.

Peter sat studying with her until curfew, following which he bade her goodnight and left. She lingered for a little while longer, reading up for the next day's Potions class before deciding to leave at around ten o'clock; she stopped by at Dumbledore's office to hand him her list, and he thanked her graciously before saying that now that he had both lists, he was free to talk to everyone on them. He reassured her that he'd be getting back to her regarding Thursday's meeting, and she bade him goodnight before making her way to the Heads' Quarters. She wondered whose names James had added to the list…

She entered the HQ to find James lying on the sofa with his eyes closed; clearly, he was dozing. She shook her head, smiling slightly as she noticed how peaceful he looked; his untidy hair covered almost his entire forehead, and his well-fitting t-shirt didn't hide his well-built frame and muscular arms. She stood there for about a minute before shaking herself out of her reverie; she promptly Summoned James's blanket from his bedroom, and covered him gently with it before retiring to her own bedroom. She figured that she'd give him a few minutes of sleep before their patrol at eleven o'clock…

At five minutes to eleven, she grabbed her wand and went downstairs. To her surprise, the sofa was empty; James must have woken up, then. As if on cue, she heard footsteps behind her, and James ran down the stairs, panting. "I'm ready, I'm ready!" he said as he came to a stop, his hair still untidy. She smiled and said, "Easy – it's not even eleven yet. Relax, would you?"

"Phew," he said, "I didn't want to be late on my first day… I didn't want you to think I wasn't serious about being Head Boy –"

"Pfft, that wouldn't have mattered," Lily deadpanned, "I already know you aren't serious –"

"Hey!" he exclaimed, and she continued mischievously, "—because I know you're _James_ , see?"

James shook his head. "Pathetic," he said as she laughed heartily, " _Really?_ "

"Oh, c'mon – lighten up," she said, "It's only the first day… Besides, you're not the only one who can make serious-Sirius jokes!"

"Yeah, I figured," he said, rolling his eyes. "Now, if you're done making stupid jokes – I think it's time we went for our patrol." Lily continued to grin, and he added, "Wow… I can't believe I said that, it sounds like something you'd say, doesn't it?"

"Why d'you think I'm smiling?" Lily asked in amusement, and he shook his head. "C'mon, then," he said, and the pair of them walked out the HQ to commence their patrol. They decided to start from the seventh floor and make their way down to the Entrance Hall, before climbing upstairs once more via a different route. "It's the best way," said James confidently, "Trust me – I spent at least half an hour figuring it out using the Marauders' Map…"

Lily shook her head; that map was the Marauders' biggest aid to rule-breaking, aside from James's Invisibility Cloak, that is. Nevertheless, she'd been forced to admit that it had been an ingenious creation, and she'd been fascinated when they'd explained to her how it worked… She'd even helped them improve it by allowing it to detect people using the Polyjuce Potion and Invisibility Cloak (much to their chagrin, the Marauders hadn't noticed the Invisibility Cloak flaw; they'd figured that it detected Invisibility Cloaks because _they'd_ showed up on it whilst using James's Cloak, only to discover later that it was because they were the creators of the map and would therefore always show up on it). She'd resolved to keep a close eye on how they used that map…

"So, how was your first day?" she asked James conversationally as they walked along a sixth-floor corridor. He grinned and said, "Not bad – just two classes… And I submitted my list, too, it wasn't that hard filling that – did you submit yours?"

"Yep – just before I came back and found you in dreamland," she replied with a smile.

"Yeah – sorry about that, I didn't mean to fall asleep," he said, his voice carrying a twinge of regret. "I wanted a few minutes of shuteye – but it turned out to be much more! Thanks for covering me up, by the way," he added, a little awkwardly.

Lily shrugged. "I dunno – the fire wasn't too strong, you looked cold," she said, keeping her voice nonchalant and trying not to think about his perfectly-toned chest. He grinned and said, "Yeah… I got back after a meeting with Bond."

"Ooh," said Lily, "What happened?"

"Nothing much," said James airily, "She met me at the Quidditch pitch… She said she wanted me to be Vice-Captain, without question. Said she could use my help in selecting the team –"

"That was nice of her," said Lily thoughtfully. It sounded like something a Slytherin would do: consolidate their position by making peace with the one person who could challenge their authority. "Think you can handle that?"

"I'm sure I can," replied James. "In some ways, I'm actually _glad_ Dumbledore chose to make me Head Boy rather than Hogwarts Captain –"

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. "Twenty-four hours ago, you were going on about how you'd been passed over –"

"That was before I knew I'd get to live in those wicked new Quarters!" James exclaimed, and she rolled her eyes. "Plus – being Head Boy allowed me to make that list, something which is crucial to the war… So, if it's serving a bigger purpose, I think I can forgo the opportunity to Captain the Hogwarts team."

"Wow," said Lily, "That's very – noble and mature, James."

"You think so?" he said eagerly, facing her. "I mean, I did go back and forth on it for a while… But maybe it was the right decision by Dumbledore after all."

"Can't really doubt him, can we?" Lily asked, grinning. James heartily agreed.

"Oh, by the way – for tomorrow's meeting, we're going to make up a patrol timetable," said Lily. "And the way it usually goes is – every night, there is a Prefect pair from the fifth, sixth and seventh years that patrols the castle. That makes is four groups of six Prefects each, which means that everyone patrols once every four days. Make sense?"

"Yeah – thanks," James said thoughtfully. "So, I was thinking – when we make up the timetable, can we make sure that Remus doesn't patrol on full moon nights, as well as the nights before and after?"

"Yeah, of course," said Lily, "I was just going to tell you that… Normally, Remus used to switch patrols with someone, but we can ensure that he won't need to. We make the timetable on the first day of every month, see?"

"Right," said James, sounding relieved. "Thanks," he added, and Lily hit him lightly on his elbow. "Idiot," she said, "He's _my_ friend too…"

"I know," he said simply, and she nodded as they walked along. She knew how considerate he was about his friends, and it was no surprise that he'd make such a request for Remus…

They rest of the patrol was uneventful, and it was nearly midnight by the time they got back to the HQ. "Well – to think we have to do this every night," said James, throwing himself onto the sofa as soon as they entered the common room, "I hope I'll get enough sleep!"

"May have to rethink our jogs every morning, then," Lily said regretfully as she headed towards the staircase. "Shame… I crossed three miles this morning, I'd have liked to keep going!"

"We'll figure it out," he said reassuringly, getting up from the sofa and following her. "I'm going to turn in, too… Goodnight, Lil."

"'Night, James," Lily responded softly before entering her bedroom and closing the door behind her. The first day hadn't been bad… It had certainly been very convenient to wake up and head down to the Quidditch pitch together with James for their morning jog, and to return to the HQ after their patrol. However, aside from that, it hadn't really been different from usual.

 _Hmm, I don't think I need a week to make up my mind_ , she thought as she slipped underneath the blankets… _I'm going to live here!_

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"So – who d'you reckon's going to be teaching us?" James asked Lily as they walked along a fifth-floor corridor on Thursday night. The Prefects' meeting two nights ago had gone off smoothly, and Lily was nicely settling back into the Hogwarts routine… They had a new teacher again this year, a Professor Archibald Hawthorne, for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Like the other classes, they'd spent the first lesson simply revising their spellwork, following which Professor Hawthorne had informed them that his top priority that year would be teaching them Legilimency and Occlumency with more rigour than ever before.

Dumbledore had called Lily and James to his office the previous night to inform them that he'd spoken to every student on their lists, as well as a couple more, based on his discretion. He'd also complimented them on their ability to gauge people, since most of the students he'd talked had indeed consented to join the Order of the Phoenix after graduation; he'd gone on to say that these students would be learning advanced magic as well as undergoing rigorous training over the course of the year to prepare themselves for what they'd be getting into – fighting the war. Lily had been somewhat shocked (but mostly delighted) to learn that she and her friends would be learning several difficult, complicated Spells – she had a feeling that without this training, they'd be woefully unprepared to do battle against Voldemort's seasoned Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange, who had overpowered her, Liz and Black with incredible ease at the end of last year.

Concentrating on James's question, she shook her head and said, "I dunno – Dumbledore said he wasn't going to, so it could be someone from the Ministry, yeah? Perhaps – an Auror who is also a member of the Order? Redbeard, maybe?"

"Maybe," said James, though he didn't sound very convinced. "Maybe it'll be Kingsley," he added, and Lily nodded thoughtfully as she recalled the tall wizard with the deep, slow and reassuring voice who had arrived to rescue them that night in Wales… It wasn't entirely implausible that someone highly trained like him would be qualified enough to train new witches and wizards in the art of magical warfare. With a little jolt, she realized that _he'd_ been the one who had cast defensive spells over her home back in her second year – hadn't her Mum taken a fancy to him?

"Maybe," she responded, "Or someone who is a veteran member of the Order – like your Dad?"

He shook his head and said, "Nah, it won't be Dad – he'd have told me. Unless – it was the _other_ thing he was hinting at!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Dad said there would be a couple of things for me to look forward to this year – one of them was the 3QT. What if the other was him teaching us?" He looked at her excitedly.

"Well – let's find out, shall we?" Lily said, grinning as they came to their destination: the portrait of Bianca the Brave, a nineteenth-century Italian witch and the inventor of the Fortitudos Potion, which temporarily removed the drinker's fear and induced courage (Lily had read about this Potion in the book Mrs Potter had lent her). " _Virtus_ ," she said to Bianca, and the portrait smiled and swung outwards to reveal a passage behind it. "Good of Dumbledore to tell us the password this time at least," commented James as he followed her into the passage; Lily lit up her wand-tip just as the portrait swung shut. "I presume he's given it to everyone who is supposed to be here?"

"He has to have," said Lily, hearing a distant sort of chatter as she saw a well-lit room at the end of the passage. "C'mon – I think people are already here," she added, and the pair of them hastened their pace as they entered the room, which was warm and spacious. Several torches were lit up near the ceiling, and there were two windows that faced the lake. It looked like Dumbledore had chosen an excellent place for them to learn advanced magic – then again, it looked like he'd been using it for that very purpose for a few years at least.

Lily greeted her friends as they walked in one by one while keeping one eye on the doorway with interest; she was curious to see who had consented to join the Order from her list, and who hadn't. She was gratified to see everyone from her list except for Jacob Adair; however, there were a few people that she didn't know. She supposed that they'd either been on James's list, or had been invited by the Headmaster himself…

As a distant clock struck eight o'clock, the chatter in the room died down. James and Black walked up to Lily with wide grins on their faces, but they were the only ones smiling; the air was subdued and rather tense, and Lily herself could feel butterflies in her stomach. Dumbledore would be addressing them soon, and no one was quite sure what to expect… Soon enough, however, they'd be embarking on something big, something enormous – for this was the start of them joining the war against Lord Voldemort. This was _it._

At that moment, the Headmaster walked into the room. He wasn't alone, however; a petite woman with elbow-length blonde hair, wearing black robes with a Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck, followed him – with a most familiar limping gait. She looked around as she walked, and her doe-soft eyes met Lily's emerald-green ones. There was no mistaking who it was.

"You?!" gasped Lily, unable to help it.

Emily Walcott smiled. "Hello, Lily," she said in her familiar, mellifluous voice, "I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again."

"What're you doing here?" Lily asked, struggling to be polite but failing to do so. Professor Walcott continued to smile. "The Headmaster invited me. It's good to see my favourite students as Head Girl and Head Boy!" She nodded to the shiny badge on Lily's chest and gave James an appreciative smile, but Lily was too incensed to register the compliment. She gritted her teeth, and her eyes were narrowed, but she felt a reassuring hand on her own – _James_ , she thought. She looked at him, and his face betrayed no emotion, but his hazel eyes were hard as he regarded their ex-DADA teacher darkly. Choosing to ignore the obvious signs of hostility from them, Professor Walcott made her way to the corner at the back of the room, and stood there unobtrusively.

Dumbledore, clearly not oblivious to the tension between his Head Students and their old DADA Professor, chose to ignore it. Instead, he began to address the crowd, who had gone quiet.

"Thank you all for joining us today. And thank you, Lily and James, for your role in getting everyone for this little meeting," he said, nodding imperiously at them. Lily stole a glance at her friends; Marlene and Black were staring at Professor Walcott with open disbelief, Peter and Mary looked apprehensive, and Remus looked confused. Liz, however, remained her usual stoic self; indeed, the only emotion on her face was one of mild curiosity.

"These current times –" Dumbledore continued sombrely, "—are dark and dangerous. Lord Voldemort continues to grow stronger even as more and more people join him; some of them, indeed, from this very castle. During these times, it is of utmost importance to resist him and to continue believing in the forces of good – until one day, the good will triumph over evil. And this is where all of you come in."

Dumbledore regarded them all with his half-moon glasses and that familiar penetrating stare. "Every year," he continued, "We have students who graduate from Hogwarts, some of whom join Lord Voldemort straightaway. This can only be countered if a few students also join the resistance against him every year. I am, of course, talking about the purpose of this meeting – to join the secret organization whose sole purpose is to resist and ultimately defeat Lord Voldemort – the Order of the Phoenix."

A collective intake of breath went around the room.

"Every year, I select a seventh-year student – or two, if I see fit – whom I observe to be against Lord Voldemort and his philosophy, and who has the strong personality of a leader," continued Dumbledore. "I proceed to have a long discussion with this student, and instruct him or her to give me a list of all the students in their year – specifically, students who are likely to join the cause of the Order of the Phoenix. This year, I chose our Head Students for this task, and according to their discretion, I spoke to each one of you before inviting you here."

There was a tense pause as Dumbledore moved his gaze once around the entire room before adding, "It seems that I have chosen wisely." He gave a little nod in Lily and James's direction. "I must say, we have twenty students here, which is a higher turnout than the last year. Thank you all for coming – your presence gives us greater hope of defeating Lord Voldemort, once and for all."

Dumbledore ran his gaze around the room once again before continuing, his tone suddenly business-like. "Now, for some practical matters… Once you join the Order of the Phoenix, there are various roles that you can assume whilst working elsewhere, depending on what career you choose. There's the Recruiter, who is always on the lookout for potential new members, no doubt helped by a job in the Ministry of Magic – or any sort of organization, for that matter. There's the Healer – someone who specializes in Healing Spells, Potions and Remedies, who works at St Mungo's and can heal the most grievous of injuries. The Spy – like the Recruiter, the Spy benefits from a position in a large organization, for it allows him or her to stay cautious and on guard for someone who may be a potential member of the Dark Side, pretending to be otherwise. Then there's the Researcher – no doubt helped by a job that requires extensive research on a particular subject – who comes up with new Spells, Potions and other things that can aid everyone else in the Order."

There was a pin-drop silence in the room. Dumbledore continued to speak.

"Then there are roles that may require you to become full-time Order members. Firstly, there's the Scout, who identifies and follows potential Death Eaters. Next, there's the Guard, who must protect someone targeted by the Dark Side around the clock. And then there's the Soldier, who does most of the field work – duelling, apprehending and disabling the supporters of Lord Voldemort. The Soldiers also act as defenders for locations suffering attacks from the Dark Side. Nearly half of the Order consists of Soldiers."

Everyone exchanged glances with each other as Dumbledore went on, "Finally, there's the Teacher, who teaches new members everything they need to know before joining the Order of the Phoenix. This job is carried out by different instructors every year, to lend their own unique expertise to new recruits. This year, it will be someone whom you already know – Professor Emily Walcott, who taught you Defence Against the Dark Arts a few years ago." He glanced towards the back of the room, and all eyes followed Professor Walcott as she limped slowly up to where he stood. "Hello – it's good to see you all again!" she said brightly, and a few students murmured hello's in response. Lily wasn't one of them; she was thinking about why Dumbledore was allowing someone whom they knew had worked for Death Eaters in the past – and allowed innocent people to get hurt, too…

"Professor Walcott," continued Dumbledore, "Has since travelled the world and gained an excellent knowledge of Spells that none of us – yes, even myself – have quite possibly _ever_ heard of. I think that she would be an asset to us – since, as an ex-Auror, she's proficient with ways to counter Dark Magic. Emily – if you will." At that, Professor Walcott nodded and faced them all.

"Good evening, all of you," she said in her musical voice, "I've had the pleasure of teaching you all four years ago – you were the best set of students I've ever taught." The teacher glanced sideways at Lily as she spoke, as though hoping that the compliment would be interpreted as a sign of truce. However, Lily kept her gaze stony, refusing to acknowledge any peace offering from her; the teacher looked away at last and continued, "I taught you all about Dark Creatures – and some basic Jinxes and Curses that would be useful in a duel. For this gathering, however – the magic you all will learn is much more advanced – and consequently, much more difficult.

"We will be covering the basics of Healing Spells, to begin with. We will learn counters to some rare Dark Curses, too – the best way to defeat an enemy is to know their strengths and weaknesses. We will gradually proceed some powerful foreign Spells – I'm sure you wouldn't have heard of them, they're _so_ obscure! And lastly, we will be learning the Elemental Shield – a piece of magic so complex that most witches and wizards don't even try to learn it, instead relying on quick-fixes such as the Shield Charm, or fast reflexes. I assure you that while the Elemental Shield is difficult to learn – it is not impossible, and if performed right, it will protect you from every spell other than the Unforgivable Curses, aside from having some amazing advantages. Allow me to demonstrate."

She raised her wand and shouted, " _Scutum Elementis!_ "

At once, Professor Walcott was surrounded by a spherical body of – water. Lily gazed at it, transfixed, as the water ball shielded the teacher completely from their view. "Now, hit me with some spells!" Professor Walcott shouted, "I'm not going to fight back until you break the Shield. Go on – do it!"

Lily looked at Dumbledore apprehensively, and the Headmaster nodded to her, telling her to do as Professor Walcott said. She raised her wand and thought, _Stupefy!_ A jet of red light burst from her wand, but as soon as it reached the Water Shield, it vanished completely. "What was that, a non-verbal Stunner? Come on – you lot can do better than that!" Professor Walcott said from behind the Water Shield, a faint note of amusement in her voice.

At that, James, Liz and almost everyone else brandished their wands. They began raining spells upon Professor Walcott's Water Shield, which resolutely absorbed everything – _nothing_ could get through. Impressed, Lily first tried a Jelly-Legs Jinx, followed by a Body-Bind Curse, then a Freezing Charm – but nothing worked. As she racked her brains for more Spells, Black shouted, "Heads up, everyone – stand back!" He fired a Blasting Curse at the Shield, which absorbed it immediately. "That's insane!" he shouted, unable to keep the surprise and admiration out of his voice.

"You can do it, too – if you practice enough," came Professor Walcott's voice. "But to break this shield – you need to be better than that!"

Lily suddenly recalled the Elemental Pentagon that Professor Malfoy had taught them back in their fourth year. _Water is weak to air and light_ , she thought. She raised her wand and shouted, "Hang on, I think I've got it – give me some room, everyone!" The other students obeyed, but James resolutely stood next to her. "Trust me, James," she said softly to him, and he nodded somewhat reluctantly before standing back. Given a clear shot at the Water Shield, Lily pointed her wand at it and yelled, " _Tempestas!_ "

At once, a powerful, stormy wind shot out of her wand and met the Water Shield. The moment it made contact, however, Lily's wand began to vibrate – she fought to remain in control, to keep blasting the Shield with the wind that she'd directed to it. "Hey – now we're in business!" came Professor Walcott's voice. "Air against water – good thinking!"

Maintaining the Spell was getting harder and harder for Lily, though – her face was shining with sweat, and she was starting to pant. "Hang on, Lily!" she heard James shout, and at the next moment, he was shooting his own Air Wave at the Water Shield. It was a lot stronger than hers, and Lily felt her load ease… Liz quickly joined the fray, and together, they didn't relent until the Shield finally cracked to reveal a sopping wet and exhausted-looking Professor Walcott.

"Well done!" she panted, smiling despite her tiredness. "It took you all longer than I thought it would… But you did break it eventually, and that's a start! Who was it – the first one to use the Air Wave?"

"Lily," said Liz proudly. "It was her – then we, me and James, we helped…"

"Indeed," said Professor Walcott, tucking her wet hair behind her ears, looking straight at Lily, who felt a slight blush come to her face… But she maintained eye contact, and the teacher added, "I can see that you've earned that badge, Lily – I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

"Thank you," Lily said grudgingly, her resolve faltering a little.

"So – that was a small demo for you lot," said Professor Walcott, addressing everyone in the room. She quickly dried herself and continued, "The Elemental Shield is a complex spell, hard to master – but you saw its effectiveness, didn't you? Not only can it absorb anything and _everything_ thrown at it – except for the Unforgiveable Curses, of course – but it can also remain in effect once it's been cast, allowing the user to attack _whilst_ being protected by the Shield. Incredible, isn't it?" she added, and Lily nodded along with everyone else, fascinated… "As for the Unforgiveables," continued Professor Walcott, "We'll be going into how to defend against them, too, so that you are well prepared…"

An ominous silence followed the teacher's words. Lily exchanged a worried glance with Liz; how in the world were they going to learn such complicated magic in so less time? As if reading her mind, Professor Walcott went on, "We'll be learning these Spells, no doubt. Obviously, we don't have much time on our hands, so – I think weekly sessions ought to work, wouldn't they? How about Thursdays – at eight o'clock, just like today?" she added, glancing towards Dumbledore, who nodded imperiously. Professor Walcott smiled and continued, "That way, this training doesn't clash with your Prefect's patrol schedules – and more importantly, it'll give you a week to practise whatever we learn, so that you're well prepared for the actual sessions."

 _This is going to be a lot harder than I thought_ , thought Lily, with a sinking feeling in her stomach. How was she going to cope up with N.E.W.T. level studies and spellwork, along with her Head Girl duties? She glanced sideways at James, and immediately felt a pang of shame. Not only was he Head Boy, but he'd undoubtedly be participating in the 3QT as well as the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup – he was certainly going to be busier than her.

"So – considering how much we have to cover, I'd say that tonight's as good a night as any to begin our long, arduous journey to learn advanced magic," said Professor Walcott. "Don't worry – it'll just be a bit of theory tonight… We'll start casting Spells from the next session onwards. Professor Dumbledore will be with us in a few training sessions to supervise – like a true Headmaster," she added, and a little titter echoed across the room; Lily even noticed Dumbledore's eyes twinkle as he made his way to a corner of the classroom.

"Right," said Professor Walcott, and waved her wand; at once, several comfortable-looking armchairs appeared in the room, as well as two four-seater sofas. "Make yourselves comfortable," said the teacher, and there was a little scramble as people went for the sofas first; shaking her head at Peter and Black who were gently shoving Gavin Johnson from one of the sofas, Lily sat down in the closest armchair, and was soon flanked by James and Liz in armchairs of their own. "Sometimes Sirius acts just like a child," said Liz, a little resignedly, and Lily grinned. "' _Sometimes?_ '" she mimicked, and James chuckled as Liz made a face at her. "A girl can hope," she said, and Lily laughed as Black and Peter sat down on the sofa victoriously.

"Right," said Professor Walcott, sounding faintly amused, "Well – before we begin to learn advanced magic, who can tell me – what _is_ magic?"

A low buzz ran across the room as everyone looked at each other; no one seemed sure about the answer. "No one? After six years of education?" Professor Walcott asked, a little smirk on her face. At that, Lily raised her hand tentatively, and the teacher pointed at her. "Er," she said, "Magic is – it's like a force that can – er, make things move, change or – er, do things that shouldn't be possible for Muggles…" She trailed off, unable to articulate a satisfactory answer. How could she _not_ have thought of this before?

"That's not bad, Lily," said Professor Walcott, smiling at her. "You captured the essence of it – however, to put it formally, magic is a supernatural force that can alter the fabric of reality at fundamental levels. In simpler terms – you can call it a force, an energy, or a power that can do whatever you want it to."

The room remained silent as she continued, "Ever wondered why you get tired after casting a Spell or spells for a long time? That's because – Spells are essentially energy that one derives from their 'magical core'. Yes, every witch or wizard has a magical core," she added. "Not everyone's is the same, though – for some, it's strong, while for others, it's more mediocre. It's a characteristic of every person, though – just like one's height, hair colour, or intelligence."

She paused, but before she could continue, Black snickered, while Peter looked a little embarrassed. Professor Walcott merely stared at him, and he sobered up at once. "Sorry," he said, and Professor Walcott nodded once before facing everyone once more. "Right," she continued, "This magical core – it's referred to differently in different cultures. For instance – the _Ki_ in Japan, the _Jeevanshakti_ in India, and the _Força Vital_ in Brazil – are _all_ the same thing. They are all synonymous with 'life force' – and for witches and wizards such as yourselves, your magical core and life force are – inseparable."

Lily pondered over the teacher's words; they were full of erudition. She studied Professor Walcott with grudging admiration as the latter continued, "So – there you have it. Based on this, every Spell you cast is itself a little blip of energy. Every Spell takes a little bit out of you, until you are too tired to cast more. But – the magical core is superior to the Muggle life force. It guarantees a much shorter recovery period between being exhausted and being strong enough to cast a powerful Spell. For Muggles, the recovery period is a lot longer – usually impossible without food and sleep."

A ripple of laughter ran throughout the class, and Professor Walcott smiled indulgently. "However," she said, "The Muggles make up for their less-than-average healing characteristics by having a subtle and powerful tool that allows them to quantify the amount of energy that they spend on almost everything. All these substitutes that Muggles have for magic – electricity, medicine, machines, gadgets and other contraptions, to name a few – have originated from their understanding of the world around us. And in this case, when we talk about magic as energy – borrowing their understanding of the forces of nature actually _helps_ us."

All eyes were on Professor Walcott as she continued, "For example – in Mayavidyalaya, the Indian School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there is a class titled 'Mathemagic'. In this class, the principles of Mathematics – which is a subject taught in Muggle schools – are integrated with magic with the sole purpose of quantifying the effects of each spell."

She paused as Lily drew in a sharp breath. She knew what maths was… In fact, she'd been quite good at it while at her Muggle school. _Maths and magic?_ she thought, fascinated. That sounded something she'd be very interested to learn…

"For example, consider the effects of the standard Healing Spell – _Consanesco_ ," said Professor Walcott. "This spell restores someone else's energy – at the cost of your own, however. Indeed, the Rennervate Spell works similarly… It may even appear as if the energy gained by the other person is higher than the energy you provided. But I assure you, that isn't the case at all. They have gained the same amount of energy as you provided – but most of it goes in restoring their health or consciousness, leaving precious little to cast Spells. Indeed, if any Spell is cast after being healed with Consanesco, the effectiveness is reduced until the user rests for the duration of their recovery period, or gains even more energy."

Lily nodded, thinking carefully as Professor Walcott spoke… _Hmm, so_ that's _why James recovered so quickly when I healed him during the battle with the Death Eaters last year_ , she thought. _He used an Energy Drain Curse immediately after I'd healed him – that gave him enough energy to battle at his full strength. Hmm, this is a pretty interesting concept!_

"There are other spells, such as the Energy Drain Curse, which steals your opponent's energy and leaves you revitalised," said Professor Walcott, much to Lily's satisfaction – she was gratified that her understanding was correct, and that she was having no difficulty keeping up with the teacher. "The amount of energy you get depends on how strongly you cast this Curse, and its effectiveness increases when you are weaker, too."

James caught her eye and gave her a little wink; she grinned back at him as she realised that he, too, was remembering the battle last year – more specifically, how he'd drained the Death Eater disguised as Andrew McMahon of his energy completely. "This explains a lot, doesn't it?" she whispered to him, and he chuckled. "Never thought about magic as energy before," he said softly, and she nodded vigorously at him.

Professor Walcott was speaking again. "Finally, there is another way to gain energy – this is the best one, but the hardest to master. You can gain energy from the sun, the moon, the clouds, and essentially everything around you; there is a Spell that can do this. Difficult as it may be to master, this Spell will revitalise you completely – with a small catch. You see, it takes about five minutes for the process to complete, and it will stop if interrupted. That's why – for this Spell to be most effective in a duel, the user must have a partner who can stall while they re-energise themselves."

A tense silence followed Professor Walcott's monologue. Fascinated as she'd been to learn more about magical theory, Lily was sure that mastering these Spells was going to be difficult… It would require every ounce of her abilities to learn what would be taught to them as quickly and efficiently as she could. She gave James a worried glance, and he gave her a reassuring sort of smile… "We can do this," he mouthed to her, and she smiled at him in response. She admired his confidence, wishing that she could possess some of it…

"Right – I think that will do for tonight," said Professor Walcott, looking at Dumbledore, and the Headmaster nodded before making his way to the front of the room. "Thank you, Emily," he said courteously, and Professor Walcott nodded purposefully. "Come to this room at eight o'clock on every Thursday night for your sessions," said Dumbledore, now addressing everyone in the room. "Remember, this is not going to be easy – but I am sure that you will find this training a lot more rewarding than you think. That'll be all, then – you may go."

Everyone stood up at the dismissal, and made for the door, talking softly but excitedly amongst themselves. "Oh, and one more thing," Professor Walcott called, and everyone stopped to pay attention to her, "Because I'm not formally your Professor anymore – call me Emily."

Everyone nodded and began to leave. Emily tried to catch Lily's eye, but she ignored the teacher and proceeded to walk out of the room with James, Liz and Black right behind her; she didn't feel like speaking to her old DADA teacher just yet. "Can you _believe_ Dumbledore?" James burst out as they made their way along the passage, "I mean, what's he thinking, getting Walcott to teach us? _After_ what she did?"

"I know, right?" Lily responded, matching his indignation. "I managed to hold it in when she was talking about magical theory, 'coz – well, it's _fascinating_ , and I can't wait to learn more – but seriously, why _her?_ "

"Oh, I dunno," said Liz, "Maybe Dumbledore wants to give her a second chance –"

"Pah!" exclaimed Black, "The question is _why_ , Lizzie – why _would_ he give her a second chance?"

"That, I dunno," said Liz, shaking her head. "To be fair, though, I always thought she was an excellent teacher, and if Dumbledore thinks she can help us, that should be good enough, shouldn't it?"

"What if she's working for the Death Eaters again?" countered James. Lily had to admit that it was a possibility (albeit a slim one), given Emily's history…

"C'mon – d'you think Dumbledore will be fooled?" said Liz sceptically.

"He was the last time," said James stubbornly.

"Maybe we should wait and see how things pan out," said another voice from behind them, and Lily spun around to see Remus right at their heels. "I assure you, Dumbledore wouldn't get her to help us unless he has a good reason…"

" _That_ is true," said Liz thoughtfully, "And if we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?"

 _She's right_ , thought Lily. It looked like they were going to have to trust the Headmaster on this… But she wasn't going to let up so easily. _I'm going to keep a close watch on her this time_ , she resolved to herself as she walked. _Then we'll see whose side she's on…_

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	22. Chapter 22

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, Anna and katelynm15! Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! Yeah, I'm going to get into some more detail regarding magical theory, and attempt to tie it in with the laws of physics. I am an engineer, after all… We like getting technical!

 **Anna:** Haha, thanks! Missed you for a chapter there… Yes, I have introduced several new concepts, and you will understand why as the story goes along. And good memory, that's precisely who Professor Walcott was… I have mentioned her in each of the subsequent years so that she remains on the periphery of the readers' minds, so that I can bring her back this year. You will soon find out why!

 **katelynm15:** Hello, new reviewer! Thanks for your review. I'm so glad you like the story, and also how you caught on to James's and Lily's evolving relationship! I'm ecstatic that you used 'evolve' rather than 'change', since that is what I was going for. Here's the next chapter, don't hesitate to leave a review! Thanks!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-two. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

" **It's you, and only you, that I want standing next to me, when all my dreams come true."**

James woke up early on Saturday morning, but felt too lazy to get out of bed, so comfortable was he under his blankets. The day before had been a long one; he'd had Herbology, double Potions followed by Charms in the afternoon – whatever had happened to Friday being the most relaxing day of the week? He'd visited Hagrid in the evening before dinner, following which he'd reluctantly decided to get started on his homework so that he could concentrate on the most important thing that weekend – selection of the Hogwarts Quidditch team.

Ashley Bond had sought him after breakfast on Friday to let him know that she was scheduling tryouts for the Hogwarts Quidditch team the next day. She'd planned to keep team selection restricted to the Quidditch teams of the four Houses at first, followed by the rest of the school in the afternoon, if needed. She also informed him to make that announcement in his House, and to meet her at eight o'clock the next day, along with the other Captains. The tryouts would begin at nine o'clock.

Sighing, James quickly showered and got dressed; today had the potential to be a long day. He left as noiselessly as he could, so as to not disturb Lily; morning person though she may be, it was Saturday, after all. He made his way to breakfast, greeting a few fellow early birds on the way before taking a seat at the end of the table. He didn't have to eat alone for long, however, as Gavin Johnson slid into the seat in front of him.

"Top of the morning to you," he said, and James grinned back at him in greeting. "Why d'you reckon the skipper wants us this early?" Gavin continued as he took a piece of toast and began to butter it up.

"Dunno," said James, "Maybe she wants to go over today's plan –"

"Blimey, didn't think of that," said Gavin, pulling a mock-thoughtful expression on his face and giving James a mischievous grin.

"—with _just_ the Captains, genius," finished James, his tone sarcastic. "She may want to tell us how she plans to hold tryouts, too… First the team, then the rest of the school, that's fine – but number of players for each position is still something we need to decide, as well as whether current House Captains are shoo-ins for the team –"

He grinned at the momentary look of horror on Gavin's face. "Oh, relax," he said, laughing, "I'm just pulling your leg! Captains will obviously make the team without a tryout –"

"Easy for you to say," muttered Gavin, "You know _you're_ in – she already made you the bleeding Vice-Captain!"

"Hey – can't help it if I'm a much better Chaser than you," said James matter-of-factly, smiling crookedly at the other boy, who snorted. "We'll see," he challenged, and James laughed. "No, we won't," he corrected, "We're already in, remember?" He laughed again as Gavin shook his head before going back to his toast.

A few minutes later, James walked out onto the Quidditch pitch with Gavin in tow to find Ashley Bond and Claire Palmer, the Ravenclaw Captain, waiting for them. "You're late," Ashley called as they arrived, and James grinned. "Sorry, Captain," he said, his tone teasing, "Didn't know you were so prissy –"

"That'll do," Ashley cut across him tersely, "So long as I'm Captain, Potter – I expect punctuality from everyone, at all times. It's disrespectful to the other person if you keep them waiting."

James exchanged a quick glance with Gavin, to find his confusion reflected on the latter's face. _My, she doesn't seem to be easygoing_ , he thought; aloud, he said, "All right, all right… Don't get your knickers in a twist, I'll be punctual the next time –"

"Better," said Ashley, "'Coz if you're late, on the bench you go."

She turned and began to make her way to the middle of the pitch. Claire gave James and Gavin a sympathetic glance before following her Captain; shaking his head, James walked behind the girls, with Gavin right at his heels. "She isn't serious, is she?" the other boy asked, and James shrugged. "Dunno – but I don't want to find out," he replied, and Gavin chuckled and nodded.

"Right," said Ashley, turning to face them when they were in the middle of the pitch, "Right… So, here's what I was thinking… We need not just seven of the best Quidditch players at Hogwarts – but _fourteen_. That's right," she added, tilting her head, "Six Chasers, four Beaters, two Keepers and two Seekers, to ensure that competition for the first team is – healthy."

James nodded along with the others; it would be good to have fourteen excellent players, both during practice and during matches. "Now," continued Ashley, "There is a little problem here – we're all Chasers. That means that one of us won't be a guaranteed starter –"

"Hang on," Claire interrupted, "I intend to try out for Keeper, if that's all right with you."

James raised his eyebrows, and he could see that Ashley seemed to be just as surprised. "But – you were made Captain of Ravenclaw based on your abilities as Chaser," she said in confusion, and Claire grinned. "I know," she said, "But the Fitz – that's what we used to call our Keeper, Liam Fitzgerald – graduated last year, along with Derek Chang and Tommy Boot, who was Captain. Tommy was the one who recommended me to Professor Flitwick, along with the assurance that he should trust me when I try out for Keeper. I know, I know – it's a bit unusual for a Captain to try out, but I've always wanted to be Keeper, and I think I'd do a fine job."

There was a pause as Ashley remained thoughtful, and James spoke up. "I think it's a good idea, Skipper," he said, "Good Quidditch players can play at any position, and if Claire thinks she can help the team more effectively by being Keeper, we ought to give her a chance." He glanced towards Claire, who gave him a grateful smile. Gavin nodded in support from next to him, and Ashley mulled over what he'd said for a few seconds before her brow cleared and she smiled.

"I was thinking along similar lines, Potter," she said, "It's good to see that we're all in sync… Well, Claire," she added, "Let's do this – you can try out for Keeper, but if there's a Keeper better than you, you can still be in the team as Chaser. That work?"

"Yes – thanks, Ashley," said Claire, grinning and nodding fervently.

"All right," said Ashley briskly, "I suppose we can hold trials for about ten spots in the team, then… We'll need two Seekers, four Beaters, and if you can walk the talk, Claire, three Chasers and one Keeper."

"Sounds about right," said Gavin, speaking up for the first time as Claire smiled confidently. Ashley nodded and continued, "Right – now, I think choosing the team should be based on a voting system. The four of us, as Captains, present our top choices for each position in the team, and in the event of a tie, Madam Hooch gets to cast the final vote to break the deadlock. Sound all right to you?"

"Yep," James, Gavin and Claire chorused together, but James was surprised… As Captain, it was Ashley's right to make a decision in the event of a tie, wasn't it? _Hmm, perhaps she's a bit unsure of herself… Maybe she doesn't want to exert her authority too much_ , he thought.

"Where's Madam Hooch?" Claire enquired.

"She'll be joining us for afternoon tryouts – _if_ they happen, that is," said Ashley. "If we haven't filled up the ten spots from the four House Quidditch teams, that's when her judgement will come in handy, see?"

James could see that Ashley had thought this out almost to perfection; there didn't seem to be any loose ends that he could think of. The existing House teams (along with reserves) obviously deserved higher priority; if they were already playing for their House, they had the experience of playing in a team, which was more than what could be said for a relative newcomer. He felt his respect for Ashley rise… _Hmm, perhaps Dumbledore did choose wisely after all_ , he thought.

Ashley discussed team selection in more detail until the four House Quidditch teams began to arrive, along with several other students, apparently to witness the tryouts. Liz and Marlene greeted James with mild threats of what they'd do to him if they weren't selected, and Sirius even went as far to suggest that he'd throw himself off the Astronomy tower if he didn't make the team (James rolled his eyes before reiterating to his best friend that he _had_ to take the tryouts seriously). Sirius simply laughed and stood in line with the Beaters from the other teams, looking a little haughty. James sincerely hoped that Sirius wouldn't miss out on a spot in the team due to overconfidence…

The Seeker tryouts went first, and to James's grudging admiration, it was Regulus Black who performed best. He shook his head; he'd never had high hopes from Donnie, to be honest, but it was still a bit embarrassing to see your team's Seeker come in last in the tryouts. Donnie just trooped back to the castle, crestfallen, and James sighed before adding Regulus and Gary Robins as his choices for Seekers.

The Beater tryouts went next; James was elated to see Sirius outperform everyone else, hitting Bludgers with such power and accuracy that it made Ashley Bond comment, "Your mate isn't half bad, Potter." He looked on in satisfaction as she added Sirius's name to her list, before following suit. He proceeded to place Ollie second on his list before adding a Beater each from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

Ashley decided to have a simultaneous tryout for the Chasers and Keepers in an effort to raise the stakes, just like a match; it turned out to be a good ploy as all the players put in excellent performances. The would-be Chasers attempted to beat each Keeper-hopeful with goals from penalties as well as open play, and James watched appreciatively as Claire Palmer (who had donned her blue robes in order to participate) saved everything that was thrown at her. She like a wall in front of the hoops, and James was sure that her tall frame and natural athleticism helped her out quite a bit. "Blimey – she wasn't kidding when she said she'd do a fine job," said Gavin, looking on in admiration, "That one's a no-brainer, that is."

"The other Keepers may be just as good," James pointed out, secretly feeling happy that Adam Wright had graduated and ergo, wasn't among them. His less-than-friendly feelings towards his former Keeper would certainly have caused some friction in the Hogwarts team, now that he wasn't Captain and therefore had the licence to be less diplomatic than before (though he admittedly wasn't diplomatic to begin with).

"That's right," said Ashley, watching on proudly as the Slytherin Keeper, sixth-year Thorfinn Rowle, performed exceptionally for several minutes before letting in a penalty from Liz. Ashley immediately added his name below Claire's, but James chose to wait until he'd seen the Hufflepuff Keeper in action, too. In hindsight, though, he needn't have; the Hufflepuff Keeper was nowhere as good as the other two, and James reluctantly added Rowle's name to his list. He didn't like the look of the big, blond Slytherin, but he'd rather have a good Keeper than a poor one in the team. "That explains why you lot let in so many goals last year," he said to Gavin as the Hufflepuff Keeper flubbed a simple save. The other boy nodded sombrely. "Too true," he said, "But compared to the rest of the clowns who turned up for tryouts…"

James laughed before concentrating on the Chasers now; he added Liz and Marlene as his top choices without hesitation, before thinking carefully and adding Ravenclaw sixth-year Steven Ackerley as his third choice. He surveyed his list carefully before handing it to Ashley, and Gavin imitated him. They appreciatively shook hands with Claire as she landed in front of them triumphantly, assuring her that her position as Keeper had been all but cemented thanks to her excellent tryout.

Once the tryouts had ended, the four Captains tallied all the votes. To James's elation, Liz and Marlene were tied as top Chaser choices, with three votes each, and Sirius was the top Beater choice with all Captains including him on their lists. The other choices weren't as clear-cut, but there were no ties, and to the Captains' relief, they'd done enough to ensure that the ten required spots had been filled.

"Right," said Ashley, "C'mon, let's make the announcement… Oh, and Claire – well done," she added to the Ravenclaw Captain, "We can only be glad that you weren't Keeping at last year's penalty shootout."

"Thanks, Ashley," said Claire sincerely, and Ashley nodded before making her way towards the waiting students. "All right," she called to them, "Here is the final team – of fourteen players. Seven players will play in the matches, obviously – but we've chosen double of that for better practice sessions, substitutions, and so that a good player doesn't miss out."

All the hopefuls regarded her silently, and she cleared her throat before continuing, "Right… The Chasers: myself, James Potter, Gavin Johnson, Elizabeth Huntington, Marlene McKinnon, and – Steven Ackerley. Step over here, please." At that, the players in question whooped and jumped excitedly and joined the Captains, while the other players applauded them sportingly. "We did it!" Marlene exclaimed, and hugged James; Liz engulfed them into a hug as well, saying, "Well, well – the Gryffindor trio is together again!"

"I wish – but it won't be easy, all of us can't start at the same time," James pointed out; however, the girls shushed him, saying, "Oh, for Heaven's sake, James – let us enjoy the moment." He grinned and said nothing more as Ashley continued, "Right… The Beaters: Sirius Black, Hestia Jones, Michael MacDougal, and Brenda Hastings."

Sirius punched the air triumphantly and walked towards the other selected players, but James's gaze went to Ollie. He found his own disappointment mirrored on her face, and even from the distance, he could tell that her blue eyes were glistening with unshed; obviously, she wasn't taking it well. He gave her a sympathetic sort of nod, and she seemed to accept her non-selection with a resigned sort of smile at him before turning away. James shook his head as Sirius hugged Liz and Marlene before clapping him on the back; in his mind, Ollie had performed better than Brenda Hastings, who had received three votes compared to Ollie's two. He wasn't exactly sure what position Brenda was good at though, considering she'd played both as a Chaser and a Beater last year… Nevertheless, it wasn't just Ashley who had voted in her favour, and he accepted her inclusion gracefully.

"The Keepers: Thorfinn Rowle, and by a wide margin, Claire Palmer," said Ashley, smiling proudly at Rowle and Claire, who raised her hand to acknowledge the applause from the crowd. "And finally," continued Ashley, "The Seekers: Regulus Black and Gary Robins. That's it, everyone – you're looking at the Hogwarts Quidditch team!"

The rejected players applauded the selected ones enthusiastically, and James was elated; despite their disappointment, it was clear that they, too, wanted the best possible team for the school in order to win the 3QT. He surveyed the people selected in the Hogwarts team, and had to admit that they reflected each House team's strengths accurately; unsurprisingly, all three Gryffindor Chasers had made it, highlighting their exceptional proficiency over the past few years. The Slytherin team had a player from each position, and were the only team with such a privilege; James half-heartedly agreed that theirs was the most balanced team, and it was hardly a surprise. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had three representatives each, including a Keeper and a Seeker from both teams combined; James couldn't fault that, given Donnie's substandard performance that morning. All in all, it looked like a strong team on paper, and he looked forward to training with the best Quidditch players at Hogwarts.

"All right," said Ashley briskly, "Everyone – thank you for coming. I shall make copies of the team roster and send them to the bulletin board in each House's common room, so that everyone knows who is representing our school in this competition. You may leave – Captains, a quick word, please."

Liz, Sirius and Marlene gave James identical smiles and waves before departing, followed by the rest of the crowd until it was only the Captains who remained. "So," said Ashley, a self-satisfied smile on her face, "I think that went well… We have our fourteen players, and we didn't even _need_ to call the rest of the school. I think we've got an excellent team – now, the only thing we have to do is win the 3QT."

"Hear, hear," said James enthusiastically, and the other Captains echoed him. Ashley's grin grew wider, and she said, "Now – I am hoping to put House rivalries aside when all of us have a common goal. Your House players are your responsibility – can I count on your support?"

James, Claire and Gavin nodded in unison, and Ashley continued, "Good… Now, with respect to training sessions, I intend to start from Monday onwards. Monday, Wednesday, Friday – we train in the evening, from five to seven. The rest of the sessions – specifically, evenings on Tuesday and Thursday, as well as the mornings, afternoons and evenings over the weekend – will serve as House practices, two per House. We can decide the slots later – OK?"

"Yes," said James and the other Captains. Once again, James admired Ashley's clarity of thought; she seemed to have pondered over this quite a bit, and she was clearly making an effort to balance exerting her authority as Captain while being fair to everyone at the same time. He'd received a taste of her Captaincy style so far; it appeared to be organised, methodical and somewhat uncompromising at the same time. He smiled inwardly; while _he'd_ have liked to call the shots, she seemed to be doing fine so far. He decided to give her a chance and support her as much as he could by setting aside his usual bias against Slytherins. _For the team_ , he thought. _For the team…_

"Prongs, my man," greeted Sirius as James joined his friends at the Gryffindor table following his meeting, "Here, have a pork chop – as thanks for selecting me in the team." He laughed, and James snorted as he sat down. "I deserve more than a measly pork chop," he said, pulling a mock-thoughtful expression on his face, "How about a hundred Galleons worth of Zonko's products?"

"I second that," said Peter immediately, rubbing his hands with glee. "Ooh, we could double the pranks we pull –"

"I see you using any of those, and you'll get detention faster than you can say 'James Potter', James Potter," said Lily threateningly, but the effect was somewhat mitigated by the amused glint in her eye. Remus, Liz and Marlene laughed, and James grinned mischievously as he said, "I won't let you see – happy? Ah, ah – I've found a loophole, you can't take back your words," he added briskly, waggling his forefinger as Lily opened her mouth to argue, "Just like a stone that's been thrown, words once spoken can't be taken back." He winked at her as the others burst out laughing.

" _Anyway_ ," said Lily, trying hard to bring the conversation back on track, "How is it playing under Ashley, James? What effect has it had on your ego – taking orders from a Slytherin?" she added wickedly.

"My ego's fine, thank you for asking," replied James, grinning sardonically at her. "And she seems to be a good Captain – she's organised and efficient, and she has a clear way of going about things. Plus – it wasn't her alone who selected the team, all the Captains did it. She's fair, surely… Maybe it's not a bad thing, having a Slytherin like her captaining the team."

"Ha – _now_ d'you understand why I invited her to the You-know-what meeting?" Lily said triumphantly.

James snorted. "Being a good Captain doesn't mean she's trustworthy… C'mon, she's a _Slytherin!_ That lot have been known to be selfish and devious – always with an ulterior motive… I told you before, and I'm saying it again, it wasn't an awfully clever decision, inviting her." He gazed at Lily steadily, referring to the discussion they'd had on last night's patrol.

"C'mon – and like _I_ said last night, there's no need to stereotype!" Lily responded, irritated. "Look at the person, not the House! Take Black, for instance – your entire family was in Slytherin, and you turned out to be different, didn't you, Black?" She looked at Sirius, as though expecting him to back her up.

"Woah, Evans – hold on," said Sirius at once, "As far as I'm concerned, those people – _aren't_ my family. My _real_ family – they're all in Gryffindor," he added, gazing around at them all.

"Aww, I'm so touched, mate," said James with mock-gratitude, but actually feeling quite touched on the inside. He knew that Sirius thought of the Marauders as his brothers, but his issues with his own family meant that he'd latched on to them tightly – which, in fact, made them family. _It's interesting that he included the girls, too_ , he thought with amusement as Liz gave Sirius a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Well – that's mighty grand of you, Black, but quite beside the point," said Lily, but James could tell from the smile on her face that she was feeling gratified by Sirius's statement, too. "Are you telling me that all the Slytherins from your family – _aren't_ your family?"

"Yep," said Sirius confidently.

"Then," said Lily, with the air of a tigress who has cornered her prey, "What House was Andromeda in – the White House?"

There were a few seconds of silence, following which Sirius said with attempted dismissiveness, "Pooh – she doesn't count."

"And why not?" Lily asked triumphantly. Sirius remained silent; so did James and the others. James was still trying to think of a way to counter Lily's argument when she continued, "There's several other examples – take Professor Slughorn, for instance. The bloke's Head of Slytherin, and yet, he always makes it a point to invite _me_ to his little parties… He's always treated me well –"

"That's an understatement," Marlene muttered, to general amusement.

"My point –" continued Lily firmly, "—is that it's high time we learnt to see past House stereotypes and try to understand the people. Obviously, creeps like Mulciber and his gang are certified ectoplasms, but that isn't because they're Slytherins – it's because we've seen them do a boatload of terrible stuff."

"Not just seen – _felt_ , too," said Mary, making a face as she joined them all. Lily nodded and said, "Exactly… That's what I've been trying to tell you – we need to learn to look past our bias, for that's how we can unite for our purpose, and battle You-Know-Who."

She stood up. "I've got work to do – but think about what I've said," she said. "I understand that you've all grown up in Wizarding households, where stereotypes like these are common… Trust me, we've got several stereotypes in the Muggle world, too. For instance – the Americans are arrogant, the French have smelly armpits, the Italians are all mafia –"

"What about the French, now?" Liz asked, struggling to keep a straight face as everyone guffawed uncontrollably.

Lily shook her head. "Just think about what I've said," she repeated, and with a wave at them all, departed the Great Hall with her head held high amid the gales of laughter.

"'The French have smelly armpits' – blimey, she's hilarious!" Sirius exclaimed, still crying tears of mirth. Everyone continued to laugh, but Liz rolled her eyes and said, "Seriously, Blackie – is _that_ all you're going to take from what she said? C'mon – she made some good points!"

"Look at it this way, Liz," said James, overcoming his laughter at last, "How likely would you be to trust a Slytherin, given how susceptible they are to go over to the Dark Side?"

"I know, James," said Liz, "But what she says is valid, too –"

"As valid as in case of Snape?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

Liz shook her head. "Yeah, Snape turned out to be like the rest of them," she said derisively, "But – they were friends for quite a long time before that, and he never behaved badly with her… Until that day."

James squirmed uncomfortably, but Marlene came to his defence at once. "Fair enough," she said, "But Lily told me that when she confronted Snape after Mulciber cursed Mary here – he said it was just for a laugh!"

"What?" James exclaimed, springing to his feet as his hand gripped his wand within his pocket. "That bleeding bashi-bazouk! I'll show him what's a laugh –"

"Oh, for Heaven's sake – _sit down_ , James," said Liz, narrowing her eyes at him; James sighed and obeyed, making up his mind to Hex Snape the next time he saw him. "It was a long time ago – I _did_ know that," Liz continued, addressing Marlene, "And yes, I always warned her about him and his friends – but before that, he truly counted her as his best friend. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have attacked his fellow Slytherins _whilst_ defending her – not once, but twice."

James and the others listened silently as Liz reminded them of the time when Snape had Hexed McMahon and Selwyn back in their third year alongside her and Lily, following that up with a story of another time when Snape had attacked McMahon and received a detention for it, an incident from their second year. "So – in all fairness, she's right about the stereotypes," she concluded. "We've been guilty of never giving them the benefit of the doubt."

"Hmm – this shows a different side to Snape," said Remus thoughtfully. "It's unfortunate that he isn't the same person now –"

"Oh, he is, Moony," James cut in, "Once a git, always a git."

Sirius and Peter laughed, but they were the only ones to do so; it seemed that Liz's narrative had altered the others' perception of Snape. "Maybe Lily's right – maybe _we're_ biased, too," said Marlene thoughtfully. "Just like _they're_ biased against Muggleborns…"

"Yeah, you're right!" said Mary. "If _only_ they weren't like that – then maybe _we_ wouldn't be, too, 'coz all we've heard are tales of how Slytherin doesn't accept Muggleborns, and routinely refer to them as – er, you-know-whats…"

"Well – so long as they look down upon Muggleborns and act the way they do – in pure self-interest, that is – I'll remain biased against them," said James stubbornly. "There may be exceptions – but there's too few of them, see? That lot is _evil_." Sirius clapped him on the back in support, and Peter nodded slowly.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," said Liz, standing up and gathering her things. "We may have grown up learning how evil Slytherins supposedly are – but maybe it's time we start forming our own perceptions. C'mon – you two done?" she added to Mary and Marlene, who nodded and stood up, too. "See you later, boys," said Marlene, and the other girls nodded to them before exiting the Great Hall.

"I don't care what they say – me trusting a Slytherin is about as likely as the Chudley Cannons winning the League this year," said James, going back to his pudding. Sirius laughed and said, "Blimey, I'm with you, mate! I don't see why Hogwarts doesn't chuck that whole lot out – that way, I don't have to play with my scamp of a little brother."

"Hey, c'mon – he's not a bad Seeker," said Remus. "Besides, he'll be out of your way –"

"He better be," said Sirius. "If he tries anything stupid, I'll just take him out with a Bludger."

"You'll do nothing of the sort," said James severely. "You're both in the same bleeding team, Padfoot – you'll _behave_."

"Blimey, relax, James," said Sirius, holding up his hands, "I was only kidding!"

"Sure you were," said James, knowing fully well that there was more than a pinch of truth in Sirius's words. He set down his spoon, spied everyone's empty plates and said, "Well – looks like we're all done! Fancy a game of Exploding Snap in the evening, then?"

"I'm in," said Sirius and Peter, and Remus said, "So long as I finish my homework – you should get started too, Wormtail," he added to Peter, who made a face. "Fine," said the fat boy, and James grinned at them. "Great – let's go, then."

James spent the rest of the day doing homework before putting up a notice on the bulletin board that the Gryffindor team tryouts for Keeper and Seeker would take place over the next weekend. He'd been unconvinced with Donnie's performance during the Hogwarts team tryout, and he'd decided in the end to do what he'd done last year and hold a Seeker tryout as well. He spent hours playing Exploding Snap with the others before going on his nightly patrol with Lily; he skilfully avoided talking about their lunchtime discussion, speaking instead about how much he was looking forward to playing with the best players from Hogwarts… But as he snuggled into his bed that night, he couldn't help but wonder if Lily had been right after all.

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The week flew by quickly for James, with lessons, homework, Head Boy duties, and the next Order of the Phoenix meeting taking up most of his time; however, the highlight of his week was the Quidditch practice with the entire Hogwarts team – _all_ three times. On the first day, Madam Hooch had addressed them all, talking about her experience coaching the Appleby Arrows, and how she expected them all to do their best in every single match. After a rigorous warm-up, they'd been divided into two teams to see how they worked with each other; predictably, James was put together with neither of his Gryffindor teammates, but with Ashley and Steven Ackerley. They started off promisingly, and after a few misplaced passes, they settled in quite nicely. James intercepted several passes between Liz and Marlene effortlessly (he knew their best moves; after all, he'd helped develop them!) and was surprised at how easily he'd struck up an excellent understanding with his new teammates – Ashley in particular; then again, it didn't take long for good Quidditch players to adjust to each other's styles, did it? They'd done even better during the following practices, even drawing a substantial crowd for the last one… James had felt heartened to hear the cheers and whoops when someone did something fancy; everyone seemed to be rather excited about the 3QT.

"Ahh – nothing like some raspberry jelly after dinner," said Peter, smacking his lips as he hungrily ate from the bowl in front of him.

James snorted and said, "You say that about apple pie, treacle tart, fruit custard and even chocolate macaroons!" Sirius and Remus laughed, and Peter looked indignant. "C'mon – raspberry jelly is my favourite, hands down!"

"No one's arguing with you, Pete," said Sirius, a mischievous glint in his eye. James laughed as Peter stuck his tongue out at Sirius before going back to his beloved raspberry jelly.

It was Saturday night, and the Marauders were at one of their most-frequented places in the castle – the kitchens. The Gryffindor team tryouts had taken place that morning, and James had been happy with his new recruits: Sean Murphy, a tall, muscular fifth-year who had made Liz and Marlene sweat as they'd tried to score past him, and (to most people's astonishment) Nancy MacDonald, Mary's third-year sister who had out-flown the more experienced Donnie Martin to make Seeker in the team. Mary had been beside herself with delight, and even James had difficulty not applauding in appreciation as Nancy caught the Snitch from right under an embarrassed Donnie's nose. She was an exciting young player, surely…

"Some tryout though, eh?" said Sirius, breaking into James's thoughts over Peter's slurps. "Who would've thought? Little Nancy MacDonald, new Seeker…"

"I dunno – you saw Donnie's Hogwarts team tryout, didn't you?" said James, somewhat surprised that Sirius had been thinking the same things as him. "It was abysmal – I dunno how he played with us for two years! Just goes to show how pathetic the other Seeker hopefuls were before –"

"You _did_ still make him a reserve, didn't you?" Remus interrupted, his eyebrows raised.

"Yep," said James, "It's always good to have a backup – especially a Seeker."

"Good call," said Remus, "Maybe we'll win the Cup this year…"

"No maybes," replied James forcefully. "I've had enough of it – we put our hearts out on the pitch, only to stumble at the final hurdle. Last year we should've won, we were playing so much better than the other teams… But Donnie messed up, and Adam messed up, too. I think we lost the Cup a lot earlier, though… If only Donnie had caught the Snitch against Hufflepuff, our lead would've been unassailable."

"Hmm," said Sirius thoughtfully; it was evident that he hadn't considered this angle before. "Maybe… But in any case, I think this year's our year, Prongs. Little Nancy is an exciting talent, and even you had difficulties scoring against Murphy."

"Too true," said James, a little proudly. "I only wish I'd held trials before the Hogwarts team was selected… Murphy's better than that lard bucket Rowle."

"I agree," said Sirius, slapping him on the back as he laughed, "Lard bucket! Ha!"

James grinned and looked at his watch. "Ooh, I have to get going," he said at once, "My patrol's in an hour –"

"You don't need _that_ long to get to the HQ!" Sirius said incredulously.

"Yeah, but I promised Lily I'd help her with non-verbal Conjuration Spells," said James, standing up. "So long – see you tomorrow!"

"Eager, aren't you?" said Remus, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Sirius and Peter laughed, and James made a face at his friends before sprinting away…

That morning, Lily had seemed a little nervous as she'd practised non-verbal Conjuration, and he'd heard her exclaiming in frustration as he'd left for Quidditch tryouts. He intended to help her, certainly… Non-verbal Conjuration was easier than it seemed to be, and he'd already identified two flaws in her technique that could be rectified rather quickly and make her job easier. He'd told her that they could work on it at ten that evening, and here he was, already five minutes late…

"Sorry, got caught up," he said as he rushed into the HQ. Lily was already sitting on the sofa, and she looked at him rather crossly as he entered. "Idiot," was all the said, though, and soon enough, they were practising in full swing. James spent about fifteen minutes going over Lily's technique, and with his constant encouragement, she was finally able to conjure a chair non-verbally just before they were to leave for their patrol.

"There – I did it!" she exclaimed delightfully, and hugged him tightly, much to his elation. James quickly drew back after inhaling the intoxicating lavender scent that her hair radiated; he didn't exactly want to let her know that his feelings for her had returned, stronger than ever… _I'm sure she doesn't feel the same way about me_ , he thought, a little despairingly. _Plus, we're doing so well as friends! I don't want to mess that up, do I?_

"Y'know, you're a great teacher," said Lily, patting his shoulder fondly.

"I know," he said simply, giving her a crooked grin; the last pat on his shoulder landed harder than the rest as she shook her head, saying, "I knew you were going to say that, you berk."

"You do know me better than most people," James pointed out, and she smiled at him again. "Well – I guess that's true, I think I'm one of the few people who have seen your softer side," she said thoughtfully.

"Rubbish," said James dismissively, "I don't have a softer side."

"Sure you don't," Lily responded, a strange smile on her face; it was almost – coy. "Remember how I told you you're like a coconut?" she added, "Well – I've said it before and I'll say it again, you _do_ have a gentler side…"

He didn't really know how to respond to that, so he decided to play it safe. "I'm glad you think so," he said simply, "Now – it's almost time for our patrol, so – shall we?" He indicated the HQ door.

"Look at you, all eager to go on a patrol as Head Boy," Lily said, a teasing smile on her face. "Oh, Heavens – are you actually _liking_ it?" She placed her hands on her cheeks and stared at him with her mouth open as she stared at him with mock-surprise.

James just blew a raspberry at her as he opened the door; with a tinkling laugh, she followed him outside as they began your patrol. "So," he said, "What d'you think about Emily's last lesson?"

The previous Thursday, Emily had taught them the Basic Healing Spell, the Rennervate Spell, and the Energy Drain Curse in quick succession; James knew all three of them, and he'd been a little bored as the rest of the class had been engaged in learning the three Spells… He hoped that Emily would start teaching them more complicated magic very soon.

"A little basic – but I guess she's starting small," said Lily, breaking into his thoughts. "Perhaps – and I'm only guessing – spellwork will get harder as term progresses, and she doesn't want to discourage us too early…"

"Maybe," said James, unconvinced, and Lily tapped his hand gently. "Well – whatever her faults, she was a good teacher back in our third year," she said, "So – perhaps we should trust her to know what she's doing."

"Yeah, because _that_ proved to be a good strategy back then," retorted James, bristling as he remembered Emily's involvement in the attacks on Muggleborns four years ago.

"She did it for her son," said Lily delicately.

"C'mon, Lily!" exclaimed James, throwing up his hands, "D'you think that justifies it? _What_ was Dumbledore thinking, letting her come back?" He shook his head. "Even in Defence – that new teacher has us all learning Occlumency with such intensity, and he says he's going to teach us Legilimency later… I mean, those Slytherin sea-gherkins in our year are just going to join Voldemort after graduating, so _why_ even make them stronger? They should just be chucked out!"

There was a pause, following which Lily said, "Look, you don't know for sure that they'll join You-Know-Who –"

"D'you _honestly_ think otherwise?" he challenged, turning to look right into her eyes.

She held his gaze, however. "It doesn't matter what I think," she said firmly. "Hogwarts is a school, and the teachers here have a duty to impart knowledge to the students so that it may help them in future… Whatever they become."

"Even future Death Eaters?" James asked, his tone disbelieving.

There was a longer pause, following which Lily nodded again. "Everyone who comes here has the right to learn whatever the teachers teach them," she said.

"Then he should alter the syllabus!" James exclaimed. "Alter it such that these future Death Eaters don't benefit from what they learn here!"

"This is a _school_ , James," said Lily patiently. "Everyone will be taught the same things, regardless of the future –"

"But –"

"—unless," she continued forcefully, "Unless, someone shows the qualities and inclination to join the battle against You-Know-Who. And _that's_ where Emily comes in," she added triumphantly.

James closed his mouth at once, somewhat thrown that he'd been too blind to see it. It wasn't like Dumbledore was sitting idly by whilst Mulciber, Snape and the other creeps made joining Voldemort their lifelong mission… Nay, he was inviting students to join the fight, and teaching them advanced magic. There was still one thing, however…

"There's still no need to teach Occlumency and Legilimency to those slimy, stinking Slytherins," he said, somewhat sullenly.

"Y'know, I think there is," said Lily slowly. "I mean, just imagine… You-Know-Who doesn't come off as the trusting kind to me. He may even Imperiuse his followers to maintain complete loyalty… And if someone knows Occlumency, Imperiusing them won't be easy. They'll fight the Curse with all they have – until they can resist it, see?"

James mulled this over, and Lily continued, "Maybe Dumbledore is sure that these baboons will join You-Know-Who soon. _Maybe_ , just _maybe_ – he wants them to survive, and not die at the hands of that monster… Maybe he wants them to see the error of their ways one day, and come back to our side. Maybe he wants to protect them."

"Oh, I dunno, Lily," said James sceptically. "That's too many maybe's…"

"Yeah, it sounds sort of farfetched, doesn't it?" said Lily, wrinkling her forehead. "I didn't think it did – until I said it out loud and heard it… But – it's still a school, and everyone has the right to learn what they're being taught."

"I suppose," said James, and that seemed to put the matter to rest. They made small some talk as they walked; Lily asked him about how practice was going, and he told her about how the team had come to an unspoken understanding to call themselves the 'Whites', thanks to their new, pearly-white Quidditch robes for the 3QT, with the Hogwarts Crest emblazoned onto the front. Lily laughed before saying that hopefully, the tournament would serve its main purpose.

James raised his eyebrows as that statement of hers rang a bell, and said, "Hang on, Hunt said something similar during the start-of-term banquet – what d'you mean, 'main purpose'? Is there more to it than having some incredible matches – and showcasing our breathtaking talent on the pitch?"

He grinned as Lily rolled her eyes. "Little bit," she said dryly, holding up her thumb and forefinger with half an inch between them. "Liz reckons that the Ministry wants to use the tournament for two things: one, to prove that Britain is still a safe place for foreigners to visit _despite_ the threat of You-Know-Who, and two, gather support from the other Ministries against You-Know-Who at the same time. And I agree with her," she added, "From what I've experienced so far, the Ministry is hardly a stranger to ulterior motives…"

"Makes sense," said James thoughtfully. "Yeah, Hunt is right – it sounds like something the Ministry would do, all right. I hope the other Ministries _do_ support us – if that happens, You-Know-Who won't stand a chance!"

"True that," said Lily with conviction, and James grinned at her. They spent the rest of the patrol discussing the likelihood of the foreign Ministries coming to the their own Ministry's aid… James wasn't so optimistic; he knew that Ministries of most countries had a tendency to protect their own interests above all others, and while Voldemort was dangerous, it would be a tall order for their own Ministry to convince the world that he was a threat to them, too… After all, Voldemort had never attempted to extend his reign of terror to the Continent.

James bade Lily goodnight when they returned to the HQ before going straight to his room and throwing himself straight onto his bed… It had been a long, tiring day, and he was sure that things were only going to get harder from now on. The first match of the 3QT would take place in two weeks, and he wanted to be well-prepared for it – for there was only one result that James Potter, Vice-Captain of the Hogwarts Quidditch team, would accept.

 _Victory._

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"There – that's the last of them," said James with a sigh of relief. "C'mon, let's go – we don't want to miss their arrival!"

"Relax, I'm right behind you!" said Lily as they jogged towards the Entrance Hall. "Dumbledore said six, we still have fifteen minutes!"

"Yeah, but what if they arrive before time?" countered James, now running down the staircases two steps at a time. "C'mon – buck up!"

It was the last Friday of September, and the day of the official launch of the 3QT at Hogwarts. The Beauxbatons delegation would be arriving with their team via portkey, while only the Durmstrang Headmaster would be attending the opening ceremony; since the first match was between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, the Durmstrang team wasn't obligated to be present. In addition, about five hundred Beauxbatons fans would be arriving the next morning (also via portkey) to cheer their team on, and James hoped that the students of Hogwarts, residents of Hogsmeade, and several witches and wizards from all over Britain and Ireland would arrive to support the home team as well as drown out the voices of the visiting contingent in the three-thousand-seater Hogwarts Quidditch pitch.

"We're here," announced James, coming to a halt just outside the castle doors. The entire school was gathered there, and the air was thick with anticipation; everyone was curious as to how the foreign visitors would be arriving. "They'll put up a show, that's for sure," said a third-year Gryffindor to his friend, "It's like my Dad once said – we can't resist showing off when we get together."

"I dunno," said the other boy, "The Durmstrang Quidditch team isn't even going to be here – sort of unfair to them if the Beauxbatons blokes put up a show, isn't it?"

"What d'you think?" said Lily from next to James; evidently, she'd been eavesdropping on the third-years, too. "Will they put up a show?"

James shook his head. "I doubt it," he said, "The main purpose is to come here and play Quidditch – that's _enough_ of a show." He grinned, and she rolled her eyes. "Mr I'm-so-confident speaks again," she said, and he laughed. "But, seriously," she continued, "How confident are you that we can beat them?"

"I'm confident of victory," said James, grinning crookedly at her. "If I weren't, we'd lose…"

Just then, 'ooh's' and 'aah's' rent the air as several figures came into sight, wearing robes of pale blue… Dumbledore began to clap as a short, grey-haired man in robes of magnificent cobalt blue led the new arrivals, who made their way gracefully towards the applauding Hogwarts students. Up close, James counted about fifteen boys and girls; this was the Quidditch team, then. All of them looked well-built and athletic, and James's appreciative gaze lingered over a tall, elegant-looking blonde girl for just a split-second longer than any of the others… He felt a little leap of excitement. _This_ was what they'd been training for over the past month… Oh, he was looking forward to this!

"Professor LePetit!" exclaimed Dumbledore, and shook hands with the short, grey-haired man. "It has been too long!"

"Zat is correct, Professor Dumbly-dorr," said Professor LePetit, in a deep voice that didn't suit his diminutive stature, "Eet 'as been far too long…" He gestured towards his students standing behind him, who were gazing at the castle with a bit of apprehension. "Zis is ze Beauxbatons Quidditch team," he said unnecessarily, "A better team can be found – nowhere, _n'est ce pas?_ "

James bristled; he knew enough French to understand that the Beauxbatons Headmaster had made a slight at their team. _We'll show you who's better_ , he thought challengingly as Dumbledore smiled and said, "Oh, we shall see – we shall see…"

"'As 'araldsson arrived yet?" enquired Professor LePetit. Dumbledore shook his head and said, "No, but he won't be too long… How about you come into the castle, Professor? Professor Flitwick can show you to your living quarters for the night… And for the team, too, of course…"

" _Bien sûr, merci beaucoup_ ," said Professor LePetit politely, and allowed tiny Professor Flitwick to lead him and his students into the castle. The rest of the school began to follow them, but James, Lily and the seventh-year Prefects lingered along with Dumbledore and the Heads of each House; the Durmstrang Headmaster was yet to arrive, as were the Ministry officials… James knew that Harold Minchum would be the one declaring the tournament open, and the Department Heads for Magical Games and Sports as well as International Magical Co-operation would be coming, too.

"Wonder if _he_ has smelly armpits?" came a voice, and James doubled over in laughter as Liz grinned from next to him. "He seems a little stuck-up," she continued, "Thinks his team is the best… Well, we'll show him…"

"That's right," he said confidently, just as another figure appeared; Professor Dumbledore introduced the tall, red-haired man as Professor Haraldsson, the Headmaster of Durmstrang. The Minister for Magic arrived soon with the two Department Heads, and together, everyone made their way towards the Great Hall for what would presumably be a grand tournament-opening feast.

James wasn't disappointed; there were several new items at the Gryffindor table tonight, including Chicken Marengo, Shrimp Paella and Meat Lasagne. However, he was more interested in the puddings, and enjoyed the croquembouche in particular, looking on in amusement as Peter stuffed himself with some tasty-looking madeleines. "Mmm – these people do themselves well," said Lily from next to him as she contentedly ate her Apfelkuchen. "This pastry is delicious!"

"Sugar, really?" said James, raising his eyebrows and giving her a teasing smile. She elbowed him and said, "Today's an exception – doesn't count."

"Is that so?" he countered, and she stuck her tongue out at him before loading her plate with another slice of the Apfelkuchen. "Shut up," she said in response to his wicked grin, and he laughed before saying to Marlene, "Which one d'you reckon is the Captain?"

"Dunno," said Marlene thoughtfully, "But it may be that girl –" she pointed to the elegant blonde that James had admired earlier, who was sitting a few seats away from them, "—or that boy." She pointed at a black-haired, handsome boy sitting at the Ravenclaw table. "They led the others," she added in explanation.

"That's what I thought," said James, admiring her astuteness. "Maybe they're _both_ Captains –"

"Ooh, I like the handsome one," said Lily, throwing an admiring glance at the boy in question, "He looks Italian –"

"Must be mafia, then," said James, suddenly feeling irritated, "One of your stereotypes, isn't it?"

"Yeah – but only amongst Muggles," Lily replied sweetly, with a cheeky grin towards him. "Besides, d'you even know what 'mafia' is?" James made a face at her before going back to his food; he immediately resolved that he wanted to win tomorrow at all costs, not only to gain an advantage in the points table, but also to rub that Italian's nose in the mud…

At long last, the final bits of food cleared away, and Dumbledore stood up. "May I invite Professors LePetit and Haraldsson to join me, please," he said, and the other two Headmasters obeyed. "Right," said Dumbledore, "Minister – if you will."

Minister Minchum nodded and raised his wand; at once, an ornate trophy stood on the table in front of Dumbledore, who waved his wand. The floating candles in the Great Hall dimmed, and suddenly, the letters '3QT' glowed from where the trophy stood. "I declare the Triangular Quidditch Tournament – open," boomed Minister Minchum, and several fireworks lit up the sky. Everyone in the Great Hall applauded as the last of the fireworks vanished and the candles illuminated the Great Hall once again.

"All right, now that we've all been fed and watered," said Dumbledore, "It is time for bed. The match will commence at eleven o'clock tomorrow – I wish both teams all the very best."

The Hogwarts students cheered, and James stood up and egged them to make as much noise as they could; he still hadn't forgotten Professor LePelt's comment, and he intended to show him _just_ how much a home advantage would matter. _You crossed the wrong person, pal_ , he thought, feeling heartened as the rest of the school whooped and applauded. Shouts of 'Hogwarts – number one!' and 'Go Whites!' filled the air as everyone began to troop off towards bed.

"Couldn't resist, could you?" said Remus, grinning at James. "Never," he responded, grinning back at his friend. Then his smile faded, and he asked in an undertone, "You going to be all right, Moony?"

"Yep," said Remus firmly. "It's tomorrow night, anyway… You just concentrate on the match, OK?"

"I will," said James resolutely. "I'll show them that we're not to be messed with!"

James slept soundly that night, and walked into the Great Hall for breakfast with Lily right at his heels. "How are you feeling?" she asked him for what was possibly the third time that morning. "I know you're saying you're fine, but you're not saying much more than that, which is _so_ unlike you…"

"Oh, for the last time, I'm _fine_ , Lil," James said, suppressing the impulse to roll his eyes with difficulty. "I'm usually like this before a match – it's because I'm going over the game plan in my head." She nodded as he sat down with Sirius, Liz and Marlene already present, and began to discuss strategy with them in low tones. Finally, he asked Sirius, "Oh, and Padfoot – I know that until now, you and your brother have played on opposite teams even in practice, but he's almost guaranteed to start today, so no stupid stuff, OK?"

There was a second's pause before Sirius said, "Yes, _all right!_ Blimey, just because I joked that I'd hit a Bludger at him –"

"You thought about it, didn't you?" James asked shrewdly.

"Regardless," said Sirius, with a somewhat guilty shrug, "The team takes precedence over everything else."

James clapped his best friend on the back and said, "Well – that's what I wanted to hear! Now… To arms, everyone – it's time to show that Beauxbatons Headmaster what we're made of!"

"Hear, hear!" Marlene, Liz, Lily and Sirius said enthusiastically, and they all dug into their breakfast with great gusto as Peter and Remus joined them.

A few minutes later, Peter, Remus and Lily wished them all luck and bade them goodbye before setting off towards the Quidditch pitch. "Right – changing rooms," said James, and led the others to their destination; the rest of the team was already present, along with Madam Hooch. "All right, the Gryffindors are here," the Flying teacher said briskly. "Now, everyone… I want a nice clean game from all of you. No unsportsmanlike conduct – understand?"

"Yes ma'am," everyone chorused, and Madam Hooch nodded. "If anyone steps even a toe outside the line, I shall be holding you accountable, Miss Bond," she said, before turning to James, "And yourself too, Potter. The two of you are in charge here."

"Yes ma'am," James and Ashley said again, exchanging a purposeful sort of nod.

"Right – now, Miss Bond and I have gone over the starting line-up for today," continued Madam Hooch. "It will be – Miss Bond herself, Potter, Johnson, Miss Palmer, Black, Miss Jones, and – Mr _Regulus_ Black, too. Understood?"

James nodded, turning away from the disappointment on Marlene and Liz's faces. Competition was tough, and it would be almost impossible for the three of them to start even a single match… _It's all right, we'll play together during the Quidditch Cup_ , he said, consoling himself.

"Now, you know the rules – but I'm stating them again. Three substitutions are permitted – not only on account of injury but also – fatigue. If you're tired, signal for a time-out, and you'll be substituted. However, once you've been subbed off – you'll play no further part in the match." said Madam Hooch. James nodded as he listened; this was a new rule specific to this tournament, and it seemed like a good one.

"Get changed, then," said Madam Hooch, and at once, everyone scrambled to the bathrooms to wear their new white robes. James pulled them on determinedly; he badly wanted his team to get off to a winning start, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds as he went over his game plan. He'd worked well with Ashley and Gavin; the former had the ability to pass with pinpoint accuracy, while the latter's defensive style of play meant that he was an asset when it came to interceptions. James's own eye for goal and powerful throws completed their divergent skillset, and he had no doubts whatsoever that they'd be winning this match.

Finally, with the starting seven ready to walk out onto the pitch, Ashley turned to them all and said, "All right, you lot – we're facing some of the best players from the Continent. You know as well as I do that some of these players will go on to represent their countries in professional Quidditch – we have our work cut out for us, it won't be an easy match. But – I believe in this team, and I _know_ we're going to win this. Who's with me?"

"Yeah – Go Whites!" everyone shouted together, and Ashley spared them a determined smile before adding, "Right – we're supposed to fly out onto the pitch once our names are called. Good luck!"

"Let's show them," said James, and exchanged a quick sideways clap with Gavin as they waited to be called out. This was it…

"Welcome – to the first match of the Triangular Quidditch tournament, between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons!" announced the commentator amid a roar from the crowd, "An overwhelming amount of home support here… But we do have a strong contingent of away fans, don't we?"

James heard cheers and whooping, and the announcer continued, "Here's the home team, then – Claire Palmer, James Potter, Gavin Johnson, Hestia Jones, Sirius Black, Regulus Black, and the Captain, Ashley Bond!"

The Hogwarts team flew out to thunderous applause as each name was called, and James recognised the commentator as Aaron Diggory, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports; hadn't his son graduated a few years ago?

"And here's the Beauxbatons team," Diggory boomed, "Abel Kowalski, Stefan Wagner, Paul Berger, Antonio Russo, Ximena Lopez, Maria Alves, led by – the Captain, Anika Bakker!"

Seven players in robes of cobalt-blue soared onto the pitch to huge cheers from their fans. _So – that girl_ is _the Captain, then_ , thought James as the beautiful blonde gracefully stood in front of her team and faced Ashley with a pleasant smile on her face. "Hallo," she said, and Ashley responded in kind; she caught James's eye and her smile widened, and James grinned back at her. _That's right, you smile_ now, he thought… _We'll see who's smiling after the match!_ His eyes went instead to the handsome Italian, Antonio Russo… _I wonder what position he plays at_ , he thought. _He has the build for a Keeper…_

"These are some of the best players from the Continent – playing under a single banner!" shouted Diggory, and raucous cheers rent the air from sea of blue behind one of the goalposts; however, the Hogwarts team supporters responded with cheers and shouts of their own, effectively deadening the voice of the visiting fans. James beamed; this was what a home match was supposed to feel like…

"Our referee – please welcome, from the Scandinavian Ministry of Magic, Magnus Olsen!" announced Diggory, and a medium-heighted wizard flew out with a crate and landed between the two Captains. "Right – Captains, shake hands," he said, and Ashley shook hands with Anika Bakker. The referee released the Snitch and the Bludgers before releasing the Quaffle with a sharp blast from his whistle; the game had commenced.

"They're off!" yelled Diggory, and James made a beeline for the Quaffle at once; he caught it and sped off, dodging Lopez and Berger with little difficulty before throwing the Quaffle to Ashley; she managed to dodge a Bludger before finding herself right in front of the goalposts… However, she feinted a shot before reverse-passing it to James, who grinned as he threw the Quaffle past the despairing hands of Russo –

"Potter scores!" announced Diggory, amid huge cheers from the crowd. "Ten-zero to Hogwarts!"

The tempo of the match grew more and more frenetic as the Beauxbatons Chasers attempted to find a way past their Hogwarts counterparts; however, Gavin alone proved to be more than a match for them as he broke down several of their moves whilst kickstarting some of his own team's attacks, causing the score to rise steadily in the home team's favour.

"Bond scores!" Diggory shouted gleefully, "Eighty-twenty to Hogwarts!"

James exchanged an overhead clap with Ashley as she flew past him before speeding off towards the Quaffle; he managed to grab it and pass it to Gavin within half a second, just as Lopez and Berger closed in on him… However, Bakker proved to be quite effective as Beater, managing to force Gavin to save himself and drop the Quaffle in the process with a powerfully-hit Bludger. _She's good_ , James thought as he flew towards Kowalski, who had the Quaffle – the Beauxbatons Chaser took his shot, but Claire made a fingertip save to deny him, much to James's elation. "Nicely done!" he yelled, and she smiled at him before throwing the Quaffle towards him; he sped off with it, dodging a Bludger as he passed it to Ashley, who played a one-two with Gavin before scoring her fourth goal of the match.

There was an air of desperation to the Beauxbatons players now, as Bakker and Wagner upped the ante with some breathtaking Bludger work; James and Ashley were finding it increasingly difficult to use their best moves, and the Kowalski scored twice at the other end, making the score ninety points to forty. "We need to step it up!" James hollered towards Ashley, who nodded and signalled to Sirius and Hestia; it was time to use their counterattacking strategy. Right on cue, Sirius hit a Bludger towards Lopez, who was in possession, and Gavin grabbed the Quaffle before speeding off. Hestia protected him effectively as he made his way forward towards the goal, and shot the Quaffle straight past Russo, much to James's relief; this was his brainchild, to have one Beater shield the Chaser in possession and pretty much guarantee their path towards goal. It wasn't something they could do all the time, however; it left the rest of the team exposed, and the other Beater with too much to do…

"And it looks like Regulus Black of Hogwarts has seen the Snitch!" boomed Diggory, and James turned to see Regulus dive, with Maria Alves in hot pursuit. _Come on, Regulus_ , he thought as the younger Black accelerated; however, Anika Bakker hit a Bludger straight at him, and it became evident that Regulus hadn't seen it as he descended.

"Look out, Regulus!" James shouted in alarm, but he needn't have; out of nowhere, a white figure flew straight towards the Hogwarts Seeker, and jumped off his broom to hit the Bludger right at Alves, who was at point-blank range and had to swerve wildly to dodge it. James watched, heart in mouth, as the Beater landed neatly on his broom again, yelling, "You're welcome, little brother!"

"Yes!" screamed James as the Beater rose upwards triumphantly; that move had the chutzpah of Sirius Black written all over it, and he'd seen Sirius use it a couple times before. A second later, the referee's whistle blew, and Diggory boomed gleefully, "Regulus Black of Hogwarts has caught the Snitch, thanks to some incredible gameplay from his brother, Sirius! It's a Black victory for the Whites, who win with two-hundred-and-fifty points to fifty!"

The stadium exploded with cheers, and James landed jubilantly next to the team… He was promptly engulfed into a many-armed hug, as Gavin and Claire screamed something incoherent in his ears. He still found time to appreciatively clap Regulus's back, saying, "Good catch, mate."

"Good game," said Regulus, grinning back at him and resembling Sirius so much that James had to actually tilt his head and reassure himself that Sirius was elsewhere, now being hugged by Marlene and Liz. _My word_ , he thought in wonder… _They look so alike, I can't believe I didn't notice that before!_

Just then, someone tapped his shoulder, and he turned to find Ashley standing behind him. She was her usual composed self, though she did spare him a grin, saying, "Excellent game, Potter – you and I are going to have a word about your distraction for the last few seconds, though…"

"Yes, Captain," he said meekly; it was true, he shouldn't have been distracted, but it had been so damn close! "C'mon, let's shake hands with them," Ashley added, and shepherded the team to do just that; James shook hands with a downcast-looking Anika Bakker, who still smiled at him before congratulating him. Even with windswept hair and flushed cheeks, she was beautiful…

"When you're done ogling, may I have your attention?"

The familiar voice came from behind him, and he grinned widely before turning to find a beaming Lily standing there. "Jealous?" he teased, but she merely blew a raspberry before engulfing him into a bone-crushing hug, exclaiming, "You were amazing, James! That was some _breathtaking_ stuff!"

"Thanks," he said happily, "But it was mostly teamwork –"

"Yeah, but you were the best player on the pitch, I couldn't take my eyes off you!" she said, her words coming out in a rush, before blushing furiously.

"Oh, really?" he said mischievously, but feeling a sudden euphoria inside. Could it be that –?

 _Nah, no way_ , said the logical voice in his head firmly. _Just drop it!_

"Well – you were outstanding!" she declared, before quickly planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm going to congratulate the others," she said quickly, and hurried away, leaving his mind in a turmoil…

 _Did_ she like him? _Was_ she coming around? Was his resolution – on the verge of _success?_

 _Oh, Lily_ , he thought, a little wistfully as people ran around the pitch in celebration… _Don't you understand what you put me through – every time you kiss me, on the cheeks though it may be? For it's you, and only you, that I want standing next to me, when all my dreams come true…_

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 **Author's note:**

About 75% of the next chapter and the one after that have already been written. I actually wrote them two years ago, so obviously, I will have to make changes… But essentially, there are two ways I can upload them: I can either upload them one by one as usual (pretty sure I can get each one done within 7-10 days), or I can take up to 15 days and upload both at the same time. What do you think? Leave your comments in the reviews! Thanks!


	23. Chapter 23

Thanks for the reviews, Annunminuialiel, Nupurlath, JainRidhi and Anna! Cheers!

 **Annunminuialiel:** Thank you! I do think all these characters are quite complex, and they all have shades that are different from each other. It's fun for me to explore these and make each character multi-dimensional, unlike a certain book series with vampires that don't live in coffins, werewolves that don't howl at the full moon, but most importantly, boring and one-dimensional characters!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! And haha, false alarm – I do admit that the title of the previous chapter was quite misleading!

 **JainRidhi:** Thanks! And well – about your wait for Jily, no comments!

 **Anna:** Thanks! Yep, Hogwarts rules – but it may not be so easy the next time! And here's one of the upcoming chapters – the first of the lot!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-three. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

" **Yes."**

The euphoria from Hogwarts's victory against Beauxbatons lasted for at least two weeks after the match. A sense of unity had spread throughout the castle; up until then, it had been uncommon for students to appreciate Quidditch players from other Houses; but now, that seemed to be happening with much higher frequency. Indeed, thanks to an exemplary display from Hogwarts's two top-scorers (James and Ashley), even Gryffindors and Slytherins were being unusually cordial with each other, much to general surprise; the rivalry between the two Houses stretched back centuries, and it seemed almost unfathomable that a mundane thing like Quidditch could thaw it.

"Y'know, I'm going to take back what I said," said Lily to Liz one Thursday evening as they stood in the room where their Order of the Phoenix training took place, waiting for Emily to arrive. "I said Quidditch divides Houses… But it looks like the exact opposite may be happening!"

"Don't you believe it," said Liz with a laugh. "Quidditch is more complicated than that… Trust me, when the Quidditch Cup commences, everything will be back to normal."

"Oh, I dunno about that," said Lily, shaking her head. "For instance, just this morning, I saw a couple of Gryffindor sixth-years in a highly animated discussion with three Slytherin fifth-years on how Ashley and James were simply unstoppable during the match –"

"For all we know, they may be discussing _who_ was more unstoppable," said Liz, shrugging as she smiled mischievously.

"Always a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Lily asked dryly, and her best friend laughed. "I try," she said, and Lily snorted just as Emily walked into the room. All chatter died down at once.

"Good evening, class," she said, smiling at them all. "Are you ready for your next challenge?"

"Born ready, Emily," said Black, puffing out his chest a bit. Remus and Peter laughed, but Lily noticed that James didn't join in… It was evident that his feelings towards Emily hadn't changed, despite the blonde witch teaching them some tricky little Spells over the past couple of weeks: a Spell that raised the power or accuracy of subsequent offensive Spells, another one that made subsequent defensive Spells stronger, and a third one that greatly increased the user's reflexes, allowing them to dodge unfriendly Spells if incapable of defending. The drawback of these Spells was that their effects were temporary, and they required a greater deal of concentration every time they were repeated – something that would only get harder over the course of a long, drawn-out duel. Nonetheless, Lily had been impressed with their subtlety and elegance; particularly, she liked the Accuracy-enhancing Spell, since it guaranteed a direct hit from offensive Spells so long as it was in effect. She wondered how she hadn't come across that one before – until Emily had revealed that she'd learned it in Japan. "The Japanese have their own ways of making things more efficient," she'd said with an impish grin.

"I like that enthusiasm, Sirius Black," Emily responded with a smile, bringing Lily back to the present. "Today, class – we'll be learning how the Order of the Phoenix members send messages to each other. This technique is even better than how Aurors communicate – which I won't be telling you, obviously, since none of you are Aurors." Her smile widened as everyone exchanged looks with each other. "You already know this technique, but what you probably don't know is that it's something of Professor Dumbledore's own creation – and believe me, it's nothing short of – _ingenious_."

"Do you mean – Patronuses?" asked Marlene.

Emily chuckled and said, "That's right, Marlene… Patronuses. I'm impressed that you know about this… Anyway, you all noticed that Professor Dumbledore isn't here right now? Well, I'm just going to send him a message…" She wrinkled her forehead before adding, "Hmm, _scarlet_. Yep, that's all."

Lily raised her eyebrows at the rather strange message, but looked on silently as Emily raised her wand, and huge shape burst from it; everyone caught a glimpse of a sleek and silver wolf before it noiselessly flew out the room. _Interesting Patronus_ , thought Lily, as Emily said, "And now – we wait."

"But – _how_ did you send a message with your Patronus, Emily?" Gavin Johnson asked eagerly. Emily laughed and said, "Patience, Gavin – _that's_ what I'm going to teach you all today!"

There was an excited muttering throughout the class, and Marlene whispered, "We've seen this before, you lot! Sirius – Fabian sent a message to Gideon from Hogsmeade, don't you remember? It was the time when – _oh_." She broke off, looking embarrassed, and Lily immediately understood why; _this_ was how they'd communicated with each other that fateful evening when they were looking into the attacks on Muggleborns, back in her third year…

Luckily, Emily didn't appear to have cottoned on to their discussion. Lily shushed Marlene nonetheless, and they were all distracted by Dumbledore's arrival. "Scarlet," he said as soon as he entered the room, smiling around at them all. "A rather – _odd_ message, don't you think, Emily?"

"It was the first word that popped into my head," Emily responded, grinning, before turning around to face them all. "All right, everyone – show of hands, who here can cast a corporeal Patronus?"

Everyone raised their hands, and Emily continued, "Well, well – I'm impressed! You chose wisely, Professor Dumbledore," she added to the Headmaster, who nodded imperiously. "So… This isn't a difficult technique to master," Emily continued, "But – at first, you'll need to learn how to cast a Patronus _non-verbally_. Then, _and only then_ will you be able to send a message. That part is actually easier than the non-verbal Patronus – all you have to do is concentrate on your message, and the Patronus carries it. Now, c'mon – let's get started…"

They spent the rest of the class trying to cast a Patronus non-verbally. Not surprisingly, James was the first one to master it – but he'd done that while learning the Patronus Charm last year, too. Liz and Black soon followed, and Lily tasted success about half an hour into the process. She remained tight-lipped when Liz asked her about her happy memory, though…

The day of the Wimbledon final was probably the happiest she'd felt in recent times. She'd had a wonderful time with James, and she'd felt so – _comfortable_ in his presence, that it was tough to explain why. He'd been funny and charming, he'd shown appreciable interest in a sport he'd watched for the first time, _and_ he'd been a total gentleman that day, even dropping her off home…

She'd half-expected him to cap off the evening by asking her out on a date. It was something the James of old would've done… But he hadn't. He'd simply said goodbye after bestowing a perfunctory hug on her. Then – he'd showed up at her house a few weeks later, and they'd played a closely-fought game of Chess… He could've asked her out then, too, but he hadn't. It looked like he was staying true to his proclamation at the end of their fifth year, when he'd declared that he was through asking her out on a date…

"Good work, Lily," said Emily, breaking into her thoughts. "Now… You can focus on sending a message through your Patronus. All you have to do is think of what you want to say before casting a Patronus… But before that, you should practise casting your Patronus non-verbally until it is – effortless. Like this," she added, and with a wave of her wand, the silver wolf appeared again and bounded once around the room before vanishing.

"Right," said Lily, and spent the rest of the class practising until Emily told them that it was time to go.

"Interesting lesson, that," said Lily as she walked with her friends, "I like the elegance of this technique –"

"Elegant usually means _difficult_ ," said Mary, sighing. "I could barely cast a Patronus non-verbally, let alone sending messages –"

"We can do some extra practice, then," said Roger Hathaway from next to her. Mary smiled and kissed her boyfriend (Lily smirked as Black and James mimed vomiting), saying, "Knew I could count on you, Rog."

"So – when's the next Hogsmeade visit?" asked Black. "I have big plans for that day!" He gave Liz a meaningful look as he spoke, and she smiled at him. "Oh, really?" she teased, "What plans?"

"Not going to spoil it," said Black as he mimed locking up his mouth and throwing away the key. Liz rolled her eyes as Lily laughed. "It's just before Halloween, Black," she said, "We opted to have it before the opening match of the Quidditch Cup this time…"

"Right, I'm itching to hit Bludgers at little Regulus again," said Black, waving an imaginary bat around. "I saved his sorry backside in our match against Beauxbatons – but when we play Slytherin, he's going to get what's coming to him!"

"Ugh," said Liz distastefully, "C'mon, Blackie – be nice!"

"Being nice is for the weak," said Black, and promptly got a little punch from Liz in the process. Lily and the others laughed before Marlene said with a little sigh, "I wish I get selected to play the next match in the 3QT… This one ended so quickly that no one had to be subbed off. Ooh, I wish I were a guaranteed starter!"

The discussion immediately turned to the 3QT, and with a roll of her eyes, Lily sidled across to where Remus and Peter were walking. "Fancy a game of Chess tonight, Pete?" she asked him brightly.

"Er – sorry, Lily, but tonight's no good," said Peter, avoiding her eyes. "I have – er, homework."

"Really?" she responded, raising her eyebrows, "But this week's been pretty light – in fact, if we don't get homework tomorrow, it'll be the first time since we started at Hogwarts that we _don't_ have to do anything aside from reading over the weekend!" She smiled contentedly.

"Er – Professor Sprout asked him to correct a few things in the last assignment we turned in," said Remus. "Pete's going to work on that tonight, aren't you, Pete?" He gave the fat boy a significant look.

"Er – yeah," said Peter, nodding vigorously.

"Oh – all right," said Lily, a little disappointed. "I was hoping that after our last match, when I finally beat you, you'd be rearing to have a go at me."

"Er – how about tomorrow night? Or Saturday afternoon?" Peter asked, and she grinned. "Saturday afternoon works fine," she said, and he nodded and smiled. She turned to Remus and asked, " _D'you_ want to play Chess tonight, then?"

"Sorry, I can't either," said Remus regretfully, "I'm, er, helping Pete…"

"I thought Black helped him with Herbology," said Lily curiously; Remus was looking unusually shifty.

"Yeah – but tonight, he's – ah – otherwise occupied," Remus said, with a meaningful glance at her. She laughed and understood at once; if Black was spending time with Liz, it meant that someone else had to take over his duties as Peter's tutor…

Soon enough, Lily and James parted ways with the rest, and made their way to the HQ. "D'you want to go over Conjuration Spells?" offered James as they entered the common room. Lily shook her head. "I think I'm getting the hang of it now," she said with a smile.

"Good," said James, "'Coz I need some help with Potions… Slughorn's hinted that he'll be holding a 'surprise' test on any Friday this week, and I want to get my concepts in order if I want to pass with a good grade."

"All right," said Lily, feeling gratified that he was asking for her help, "What d'you need help with?"

"Oh, on how to brew the Skele-Gro," he replied; Summoning his copy of Advanced Potion-Making and plonking himself down on the sofa. She sat down next to him and explained the nuances of Skele-Gro to him for the better part of the next two hours, until it was time for their patrol; she enjoyed her patrols with him, and they never seemed to run out of things to discuss…

Midway through their patrol, however, James stopped, and motioned for her to stop, too. She obeyed and listened before hearing what his keener senses had already detected: footsteps in the corridor ahead of them. Who could be out at this hour? Lily hoped that it would be someone on a night-time stroll, but experience had taught her to expect the worst… She raised her wand, and saw James do the same from next to her. He held up three fingers, and she nodded once to show that she understood; he put down his ring finger, followed by his middle finger, before giving her a final nod, and the two of them burst around the corner –

Someone flinched as appeared; to Lily's great surprise, it was none other than – Peter, along with a curly-haired girl whom Lily recognised as Jeanne Howard, a fifth-year Hufflepuff Prefect. "Peter!" she exclaimed, "I thought you were studying Herbology!"

"I – er – finished early?" Peter tried lamely, but his blush gave him away.

"So _that's_ why you've been taking the map to the kitchens every night!" James exclaimed. "Tut, tut, Pete – go to the common room now, mate. You and I are going to have a little chat tomorrow." However, the effect of his stern tone was somewhat mitigated with the amusement in his eyes.

"All right," said Peter, giving Jeanne and embarrassed glance, "C'mon, I'll drop you off…"

Jeanne gave Lily and James a guilty sort of smile before following Peter. James waited until they'd turned the corner before bursting into laughter. "That sneaky little blighter!" he exclaimed, "Sirius told me he's been volunteering to go the kitchens every night _and_ taking the map with him – guess we now know why, that girl was a Hufflepuff, wasn't she?"

"Yep," said Lily, still somewhat shocked, "I can't believe it… Is he going out with her?"

"Dunno," said James, "Like I said, he has some explaining to do –"

"Remus knows, I'm sure of it," said Lily decisively. "He looked awfully shifty when he declined playing Chess with me tonight –"

James snorted. "I'm sure he doesn't know the entire story," he said. "Moony never really asks too many questions – Pete may have just told him to cover for him tonight, and that's what he did…"

"Maybe," said Lily thoughtfully. "In any case – if he's going out with her, he'll have a date to Hogsmeade! Has he ever had one?"

"Nope," said James, shaking his head. "Poor bloke kept pining after Mary for about three years before accepting that she was happy with Roger. I think this is a good thing for Pete – he's finally moved on. Moving on is a good thing…"

"Yeah," agreed Lily. But she remained pensive for the rest of their patrol… Whatever had James meant by that? The statement _was_ true, no doubt – but did he mean anything _more?_ But as she snuggled into bed that night, she couldn't help but feel a bit sad. It looked like each of her friends had a date to Hogsmeade – except her, James and Remus. Then again, that weekend was a full moon night, too, which meant that she'd most likely be going to the village with James, a James who had moved on from her…

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The weeks that followed saw an exponential increase in Lily's workload. NEWT year was finally hitting them, and their lessons were growing more and more intense; a couple of seventh-years had been sent to the Hospital Wing to receive Calming Draughts, and Lily had a sinking feeling that things were only going to get harder. Admittedly, James had a fuller timetable than she did, with Quidditch practice for the 3QT – but as he'd told her happily two days ago, he and Ashley had decided against conducting practice on Fridays until the first round of matches for the Quidditch Cup had been played. House team practices would only be getting more tiring, and they didn't want anyone to suffer from burnouts…

Their Order of the Phoenix training was also starting to get harder. It had taken Lily two full lessons to learn sending messages by Patronus, and some of the others were still struggling with that, including Karen Norton and Brenda Hastings. As a result, Emily had decided to make their last lesson before Halloween a revision session, with everyone free to practise what they'd learnt so far while she helped the students who were lagging behind the others. Lily had gratefully accepted this as a chance to work on casting _every_ Spell she'd learnt non-verbally, to good success.

She'd returned to the HQ with James after their training session and studied for the possible 'surprise' test tomorrow before leaving for her patrol with James, who cheerfully discussed some of the Gryffindor team's new tactics that he'd developed over the past month. She listened with polite interest, but her mind kept wandering to the Hogsmeade weekend in two days' time, and whether she should go or just stay back in the castle to catch up on some of her work… Luckily, she kept getting distracted from those thoughts as several couples (undoubtedly spurred on by the upcoming Hogsmeade visit) chose that night to display their affection all over the school, including a highly passionate kissing session between Liz and Black at the Astronomy tower.

"Well, that was interesting," said James as they made their way back to the HQ towards the end of their patrol. "I mean, it isn't every day that we have to bust about twelve or fifteen couples kissing in the classrooms after curfew, see?"

Lily laughed and tapped him lightly on the arm. "Hey, be nice, James," she said, "In this climate, it isn't a bad thing if there's a bit more affection in the world –"

"Affection?" he mimicked, rolling his eyes. "Lily, were you not looking at Sirius and Liz? If we hadn't caught them, they would've probably rolled off the Astronomy tower!"

"I always thought the balustrade's purpose was to stop _exactly_ that," Lily said dryly, and he burst into laughter. She laughed along with him, enjoying how hard she'd made him laugh…

For the umpteenth time, she thought back to their fifth year as they walked.

There was a marked difference between how he'd been then, and how he was now. Back then, he'd been extremely annoying, having resorted to numerous public displays of his 'undying love for her' and badgering her continuously to go out on a date with him. Plus, he'd been cocky, arrogant and conceited, and given the fact that he'd mercilessly picked on Severus, she'd disliked him intensely. Now, however…

When he'd asked her if they could be friends while she lay recovering in the Hospital Wing after their adventure ( _Misadventure, more like_ , said the voice in her head) in Swansea, she hadn't been able to say no. She'd seen his other side… The boy with a heart of gold, the tough, honourable Quidditch Captain, the fearless leader – the boy who was as brave as he was clever, and unflinching in face of danger. _That_ had been the person she'd wanted to be friends with…

Their friendship had begun on a tentative note before warming up over the summer and afterwards; dinner at Potter Mansion, jogging in the mornings at Hogwarts, sharing light-hearted banter… But all that had changed when they'd started to go out with different people: first, his irrational anger when Adam Wright had joined them for their morning jog one day, followed by their quarrel with respect to Olivia Dunbar at Huntington Cottage, during Liz's parents' twentieth anniversary celebration… But they'd mended fences and remained on good terms for several weeks after that. He'd comforted her after she'd split up with Adam, and she'd offered advice when Olivia had been furious with him. She'd hidden the illogical pain she'd felt when he'd kissed Olivia at the end of a Quidditch match, preferring to keep her distance; but with Liz's relationship with Sirius Black blossoming, she'd had started to feel a bit alone…

Then his admission at the end of last year had completely changed the dynamic of their friendship. In response to her prodding, he'd opened up to her about how the profoundly incident with Snape had affected him… How he'd tried to change his behaviour _just_ to be her friend… How much he'd been hurt with her harsh words that day… And yet, how thankful he'd been that she'd forgiven him…

She'd been distressed when he'd told her how he thought he didn't deserve her. That defeat in his voice had been _heartbreaking_ to hear… She remembered how she'd embraced him that night, unable to bear that she'd caused him so much pain without being aware of it – and how warm and _wonderful_ that hug had felt. It was like all her problems had simply melted away…

But then they'd been rudely interrupted by the Death Eaters who had sneaked into the castle on a mission. In the ensuing duel, James had taken a double Cruciatus Curse for her that night, and she remembered her fury when he'd been lying on the floor, shaking and twitching uncontrollably… Her respect for him had risen exponentially that night when she'd seen the brave, loyal and selfless side of him again. She'd almost kissed him in the Hospital Wing, and – however hard she tried to bury it, she _knew_ that she was disappointed not to have followed through with it…

"We're here," said James, and to her surprise, she saw that they were already at the HQ. "Knut for your thoughts, Lil – you must be thinking of something terribly important, for you completely missed what I was saying."

She blushed. "Sorry, I sort of drifted off," she said, "What _were_ you saying?"

"Never mind – nothing important," he said, grinning impishly at her as he gave the password to Antoine l'ambiteux, who let them into the HQ.

"C'mon – tell me," she said, mock-hitting his shoulder.

"Fine," he responded with the air of a man who was reluctant to give a secret, "I was merely asking you if you were going to Hogsmeade on Saturday –"

"I might just stay here and study – I'm not really too enthusiastic to go," she replied, suppressing a yawn. It was nearly midnight, and she was extremely tired; revising every Spell Emily had taught them had drained her, and she still had some revision to do. _I'll practise again on Saturday_ , she resolved…

"Right," said James, as Lily threw herself on the sofa in front of the fire and regretfully lifted her copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ off the coffee table. "Anyway," he continued, "Why're you reading that stuff, don't you already know it all?" There was a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes.

"A little bit of revision never hurt anybody," Lily replied sagely. "Which is what you should be doing if you want to pass," she added, winking at him.

"Oh, yeah, that 'surprise' test," said James, running a hand through his hair and chuckling. "Well… I'll just wing it, I suppose."

"Your call," she replied with a shrug, going back to her book with a little smile at him; she'd just started to study herself, and didn't want to get distracted. He seemed to understand this.

"Well, Goodnight, Lil," said James, and she waved at him as went up to his dormitory. _How things have changed_ , she thought as she watched the hem of his robes disappear up the staircase… She still couldn't understand what she felt towards James Potter. Not only was he extremely attractive, but now that she knew what kind of person he was, she felt quite sure that if he asked her out again, she would find that difficult to say no to…

She shook herself mentally. Did she have feelings for him? She found herself wondering that yet again. She'd initially thought that the attraction that she'd felt towards him at the end of last year was simply because they'd been thrown together in times of adversity. He hadn't bothered her even once after those events, but they'd had a great time meeting up over the summer, and he'd certainly become one of her closest friends… He was just so _easy_ to talk to, and she felt safe and comfortable around him.

So why was she disappointed that he hadn't asked her out again?

He'd sworn that he was through asking her out, and that he'd be getting over her. Well, he had achieved that with flying colours, hadn't he? He'd even dated Olivia for the better part of last year, and barring a solitary incident, he'd always been cordial to Adam when she'd been going out with the latter. Had she been disappointed with his lack of jealousy? Well, maybe a little…

He'd certainly been a lot more guarded while talking about his relationship with Olivia with her, though. He hadn't told her that they'd gotten together, and he'd remained tight-lipped over the reason for them splitting up… But now, they were both single, and it had been that way for at least four months. So why did she feel downcast because he hadn't asked her out yet?

She didn't know when she fell asleep on the sofa.

She was standing at her doorstep, happy to be back home for Christmas… "Mum! Dad! I'm home!" she hollered as she opened the door and stepped over the threshold – and screamed in horror; three masked figures stood in her living room, while her parents cowered against the wall, terrified. "No!" she yelled, whipping out her wand and sprinting forward, "Don't hurt them!"

"You will die, you dirt-veined Muggles!" one of the figures roared, raising his wand, " _Crucio!_ "

"No – Daddy!" she screamed in terror as her father lay on the floor, shouting and yelling and twitching horribly, just like James had… She was completely frozen as another of the thugs cast the Cruciatus Curse on her mother, who joined her father on the floor, screaming…

"No!" she yelled, rallying herself, " _Stupefy!_ " But the Stunner missed its mark, and one of the masked figures turned to look at her. "Let's dispose of these two pieces of filth, so that we can take care of her!" he roared; as if on cue, the other two goons raised their wands at her parents and yelled in unison, " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

"NOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, but there was a blinding flash of green light, and when she could see again, she saw her what scared her most in the world – her parents were lying on the floor, their eyes unseeing, their faces pale… She screamed in horror once again. It couldn't be true – her loving parents –

"Now for you, Mudblood!" shouted one of the ruffians, and pointed his wand at her. " _Crucio!_ "

She screamed again as the Curse hit her… She shouted and shrieked and kept on yelling, until –

" _Lily!_ "

She heard a distant, vaguely familiar voice call out her name…

"Lily, wake up!" the voice was saying urgently. Someone was shaking her shoulder, _rather roughly_ , she thought. "Wake up, Lily… You must wake up!"

She opened her eyes at last. She was lying on the sofa in the common room of the HQ… She quickly sat up, her heart pounding. She was shaking uncontrollably. Disoriented, she looked around until the pale and worried visage of James Potter came into view. She suddenly became aware of how close their faces were to each other, and drew back at once, only vaguely aware that tears were streaming down her cheeks…

"Lily… You all right?" James asked her fretfully, and suddenly, she couldn't control it. Her tears came like the summer tempest; she hugged the boy kneeling in front of her and began to sob uncontrollably over his shoulder.

How long she cried, she didn't know. He sat down on the sofa next to her, and she buried her face in his chest, and wept unashamedly. Her parents – the Death Eaters torturing them – killing them – the vivid pictures swam before her eyes, and she sobbed harder than ever… She clutched James as though he was her only link to life amid the sea of death, and she could feel his strong arms embracing her and stroke her hair gently.

"It was only a dream, Lil… Just a bleeding nightmare," he whispered soothingly, delicately stroking her back… She felt comforted in his warm embrace, and gradually, the tears stopped, and her sobs reduced to small sniffs. He kept stroking her hair and talking gently to her; she didn't know what he was saying, but it was soothing all the same. After what seemed like an eternity, she removed her arms from around him, and drew back to sit up straight.

"What happened, Lily?" he asked her gently.

"It was – my parents, James," she said, with difficulty, "I dreamed – that the Death Eaters had killed them…" A wave of tears threatened to break free again, and she gave a gigantic sniff. He patted her shoulder gently. "It was just a dream, Lil…" he said softly, "Just a stupid nightmare… I'm sure they're fine –"

"NO!" she shouted suddenly. "What if Death Eaters _have_ attacked them? What am I going to do? How can I check on them? Sending Cavana will take too long… How can I make sure they're safe, _right now?_ "

A thought hit her suddenly, and she looked at him with hope in her heart. "That passage on the fifth floor! I can just go to Hogsmeade, Apparate home, check on them, and come back within an hour!"

He looked at her as though she were mad. She had to admit, she _did_ sound mad… "Are you _insane?_ " he asked her incredulously, "There's no way I'm letting you go out tonight, and that too – _alone!_ If you want to check on your parents, there's a much easier way… Just leave it to me."

She tried to protest but he quickly shushed her; she watched, confused, as he stood up and drew his wand. A second later, a silver stag burst from his wand-tip and cantered away, out of the window and out of sight. He sat back down next to her.

"What – what did you –?" she asked incoherently, unable to fully register what he'd just done.

"I just sent a message to my dad," he said. "With luck, he's probably working late tonight… He'll check on your parents for us –"

"But he doesn't know where I live!"

He waved an impatient hand. " _I_ know, don't I? I sent your address to Dad too, through that message. Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll get back to us in a few minutes." He sat back down next to her, his gaze firm yet reassuring at the same time…

She nodded, too nonplussed and distraught to argue or even question what he was doing. He put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, and held her other hand in his own, intertwining their fingers gently. Feeling inexplicably comforted, she merely rested her head on his shoulder once again, noting with a pang how wet his robes were… Had she really cried that much?

What had happened? She'd always prided herself on being tough emotionally – something which had only been enhanced after her sister's treatment of her. She couldn't _believe_ that she'd gone to pieces like that over a stupid _nightmare_ , of all things… She already felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of Mr Potter hastily going over to her house, just to check on her parents… It would be a false alarm; she was sure of it. She felt rather small and foolish as she imagined Mr Potter returning to Potter Mansion, muttering about inconsiderate people who didn't care about his sleep…

The minutes crept by slowly. She sat with her head on his shoulder and her fingers tightly intertwined in his, while his other hand never left her own shoulder. They both sat there in silence, waiting… Waiting for Mr Potter to answer…

And finally, about fifteen minutes after James had sent his own message, a silver lion travelled into the room and halted directly in front of them. It spoke in Mr Potter's deep voice, "House safe, family safe, strengthening defensive spells now."

Lily moaned in relief and buried her face in James's chest. He absently stroked her hair, saying, "Well, they're all right… It's a good thing you stink at Divination, and your nightmares are just that – _nightmares_ , not premonitions." She giggled wetly as a response to his teasing. He always knew how to make her laugh…

Finally, she straightened up. "I'm sorry, James," she said shamefacedly, "I didn't mean to cry and get all – all distraught and irrational, y'know –"

But he shushed her once again. "You don't have to apologize, Lil," he said gently. "These things happen… You're worried about them, as any daughter so far away from home would! You're a wonderful person, Lily…" He squeezed her shoulder, she felt that feeling of blissful comfort once again…

She snuggled even closer to him. She wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her then and there. She was sure, however, that it wasn't going to happen… The old James wouldn't have missed this opportunity to make a move, she was sure of it. This new one, however, was over her – which is why her inference was even more painful.

 _I missed my chance._

At last, she had an answer to the question that had bothered her for months. She was sure that he was more, so much more than just a friend to her… She'd felt _so_ very safe in his embrace, and she was sure that she was irreversibly attracted to him… Oh, how she'd love to kiss him right now! But, alas, he didn't feel that way about her anymore. He was just being a good friend tonight – a supportive friend, the friend she needed him to be when she was at her most vulnerable. And so, she fought the impulse to do kiss him…

Yet, despite her feelings of despair, she was enjoying his company – just sitting there silently, staring into the depths of the fire… She was feeling calm and at peace. It was hard to believe that nearly an hour ago, she'd woken up, crying and shaking…

"Thanks," she said to him softly, "For being there."

He squeezed her shoulder again. "Always," he said delicately. The warmth in his voice made her smile happily… She stayed like that, her head on his shoulder, until sleep overcame her once again.

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She woke up and stared around the room groggily; daylight was streaming in through the open window. She looked at the watch on her dressing table and gasped; she had about half an hour to get ready, have breakfast and go for Herbology. Hurriedly, she woke up and began to adjust her hair before making her way to the bathroom; she took a quick bath and got dressed in her school robes in record time before stepping outside her bedroom.

She paused at the top of the stairs. James was nowhere to be seen, and his bedroom door was closed. With a pang of shame, she remembered what had happened last night… She'd fallen asleep on the sofa, and she'd had a nightmare… She'd been distraught, and James had woken her up… She'd cried over his shoulder and talked madly about going home check on her parents, which had forced him send poor Mr Potter to her house in the middle of the night… She felt guilty and ashamed. The last thing she remembered was his warm and gentle embrace as she'd fallen asleep in his arms on the sofa… She supposed that he'd taken her up to bed while she was sleeping.

With an effort, she brought herself back into the present. She checked her watch and gasped; she had only twenty minutes to get to Herbology… Where _was_ James? Had he already left? _No, he would've woken me up,_ she thought. Then again, maybe he'd thought that she needed the rest after last night… _No, that doesn't make any sense, he would've at least checked in on me in the morning_ , she thought firmly… Which left only one possible explanation.

Lily took a deep breath and knocked softly on James's bedroom door. There was no answer, and she knocked harder. To her relief, a sleepy voice answered from within, "Go away, Mum, it's Saturday!"

She giggled. "Wake up, you prat!" she called, "It's Friday and we have Herbology in twenty minutes!" She heard footsteps pounding and a second later, the door opened to reveal a drowsy-looking James, complete with tousled hair and bleary eyes…

She felt a jolt somewhere in the region of her stomach; even though he was looking like he'd just woken up, with his hair at its messiest, his hazel eyes unfocused and his glasses askew, James Potter was still _so_ attractive, and she felt that urge to kiss him once again…

She shoved those thoughts away as he asked, "What time is it?"

"Eight-forty," she replied, "Just twenty minutes!"

"Dammit!" he exclaimed, "I'm going to be late! Unless… I might as well skive it off…" He looked at her hopefully.

She narrowed her eyes in mock-anger, but she was sure that her expression gave away the amusement she was feeling. The urge to kiss him was stronger than ever. "James Potter, you'll do no such thing," she said threateningly, "Get ready, now!"

"Oh, come on, Lil…"

"Nothing doing, you can still make it," she said firmly, before adding, "I'll take care of your breakfast." It was the least she could do, after all. She quickly turned away from those beautiful hazel eyes and said, "Herbology, twenty minutes – don't be late!"

And with that order, she turned on her heel and marched away quickly, before her stupid primitive feelings gave way. She paused at the foot of the stairs and looked back up, sighing as she saw him still at his door, staring into nothingness…

"James," she called, and he looked at her at once. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" he exclaimed, suddenly galvanised into action, "Be there in a jiff –"

"Hang on," she said, and he stopped and looked at her with confusion. "Listen," she began contritely, "I'm sorry about last night, I shouldn't have broken down like that. But – you comforted me, and for that, I'm _so_ very grateful. You made me feel so much better, James… Thank you," she said, her words coming out in a rush. She kicked herself mentally; she was sure that he would see through her discomfort beneath the coolness she struggled to keep on exuding.

He gave no indication that he'd understood her state of mind, however. He simply smiled at her and said, "I'd do it again, Lil. Anything for you." The warmth in his tone was unmistakeable. She grinned back at him, waved once, and pointed to her watch again before departing for breakfast.

The clock was just striking nine as she made her way to Herbology. She'd just had time to drink a cup of coffee and have two pieces of toast, but she'd carefully wrapped jam, half a dozen pieces of toast and a cup of tea in a small cardboard box she'd conjured out of thin air (and mentally thanked James for his help with that Spell). She'd also Charmed the tea to remain in the cup without spilling, mentally congratulating herself with the elegance of her Charm… She'd sealed the box carefully, written 'Lift all Charms' on its lid in minute writing, shrunk it so that it would fit in her palm, and used a Banishing Charm on it, concentrating with all her might on the HQ. She'd watched the box fly out of sight before dashing off to Herbology, feeling giddily happy all of a sudden…

"There you are," said Liz as soon as she entered the greenhouse, panting, "Where _were_ you? You've never been late to class before – and where's James?"

"On his way," she said quickly, and was immediately relieved to see James rush into the greenhouse just then, followed almost immediately by Professor Sprout. He spotted her, and quickly gave her a little wink and the thumbs-up; she nodded back at him with a smile before focusing on Liz.

"What's with the wink?" her best friend asked curiously, an impish sort of grin on her face.

"I'll explain later," Lily hissed back as the class fell silent; Professor Sprout had begun to speak. The Herbology teacher proceeded to tell them that they'd be picking the leaves of the Sanaossa plant, which were a key ingredient in Skele-Gro, the Potion used to regrow bones. It wasn't an easy process, though; the leaves had to be picked only when they glowed red on exposure to sunlight, a process complicated by the fact that the glow lasted for only a few seconds, leaving a tiny window of opportunity for the deed to be done. Oh, and the leaves glowed red only after they'd been exposed to sunlight for more than ten minutes…

With nothing much to do aside from wait as the Sanaossa plant harnessed sunlight, Lily explained the events of the previous night to Liz in whispers. Liz's beautiful face carried an expression of astonishment mingled with sympathy as she heard Lily's tale, and she rubbed Lily's shoulder comfortingly once Lily was done… "So, you all right now?" she whispered.

Lily nodded; she had never felt more 'all right' in her whole life. Now was the moment to tell Liz the truth… Aloud, she said, "The honest answer is yes – and no. Yes, because I know that it was just a stupid dream… And no, because," she paused and scanned Liz's face, which showed undisguised curiosity, "I may – I may have feelings for James."

One split second of silence – then Liz's face split into a wide grin that crinkled her eyes so much that Lily wondered if she would have any difficulty seeing. She made a high-pitched, excited noise that luckily went unnoticed by majority of the class except for Lily and Marlene, who was standing with Mary on Liz's other side; Marlene raised her eyebrows inquiringly at them, and Lily shook her head with feigned nonchalance… Thankfully, Marlene nodded back at her before turning her attention back to her own Sanaossa plant.

"Not here, Liz… Later!" Lily hissed at her best friend, who seemed close to bursting with excitement. Liz nodded and said nothing more, but to Lily's chagrin, a wide smile remained pasted to her face for the rest of the class.

"So, spill," said Liz about an hour later, as they walked to Potions. Lily shook her head; there was a strong chance of a 'surprise' test in Potions, and all Liz seemed to do was to extract the entire story from her. "After lunch," she promised, just as James caught up to them with Black and Remus in tow. To Lily's relief, Black's arrival distracted Liz, which meant that she'd have some time to collect her thoughts…

"Thanks for breakfast, Lil," said James, and she smiled at the sound of his voice before turning to him. His hazel eyes were twinkling as he added, "That box was wonderfully Charmed… You'll have to teach me how to do that."

"Oh, it was quite simple," she said, blushing slightly before turning to Peter and adding, "Chess tonight, Remus?"

Remus grinned. "Pete already said no, huh?" he asked her shrewdly, and she laughed. "Where _is_ he, anyway?" she asked curiously, and Remus shook his head. "He skived off Herbology today to study for that test of Slughorn's," he said, "'Course – if Slughorn doesn't take the test today, he's going to end up feeling pretty foolish –"

"Wouldn't be the first time," said James with a snicker. Remus chuckled, and Lily shook her head. "Be nice to Pete – he looks up to you," she reprimanded mildly, and he raised his hand at once. "C'mon, I was only kidding," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "I know _you_ didn't study for the test – I hope for your sake that you don't end up looking foolish," she said.

James grinned. "Never happen," he said confidently, and she snorted before sitting down next to Liz. Like always, she ignored Snape completely.

An hour later, Lily walked to lunch, feeling quite good about her performance on the test; she'd aced it, only tied with Snape at first position. She happily accepted Slughorn's praise without so much as a backward glance at her former friend before walking out of the classroom; she joined her friends for lunch, but spoke little, preferring instead to laugh at the Marauders' jokes and berate Peter a little for not attending Herbology that morning.

The Gryffindors had Charms after lunch, and that turned out to be an interesting lesson as Professor Flitwick (who seemed to be in a let's-celebrate-Halloween-early sort of mood) made them convert orange juice to pumpkin juice; anyone who completed the objective would be allowed to carve their own pumpkin any way they wanted, and a hundred of those would have the honour of floating around in the air during the Halloween feast. It was a fun lesson, and stayed true to Professor Flitwick's nature of allowing his class to enjoy themselves around the time of a holiday…

After the lesson was over, Liz and Lily walked out of the classroom together (Liz shooed Black away before indicating that she'd see him later). "Finally, we're alone," she said, and Lily grinned. "Oh, I'm flattered, Liz – but sorry, I don't swing that way, I like boys –"

"Ha ha, funny," Liz responded sarcastically. "You've been spending too much time with James!"

"Maybe," Lily responded, and Liz raised her eyebrows. "I mean, c'mon, we share living quarters!" Lily amended quickly, but Liz's face remained inscrutable as they made their way to the grounds before sitting down near the lake. Lily remembered with a pang that this was she'd been sitting when James had humiliated Severus, inadvertently resulting in the end of their friendship…

She stole a glance at Liz; her best friend's face was no longer inscrutable, and her trademark calmness seemed to have deserted her. She seemed to be bursting with anticipation… Her eyes were bright, and she was positively quivering with excitement. Lily smiled, amused. "Seriously, it isn't that big a deal…" she said.

Incredulity replaced the excitement on Liz's face. " _Not a big deal?_ You're kidding, right?" she asked sceptically. "C'mon! After years of trading insults, the two of you became friends – and now, you're telling me you have feelings for the bloke who kissed the ground you walked on? Of course it's a big deal!"

"Did he really kiss –?"

"No, it's an expression!" Liz cut across her, rolling her eyes. Lily laughed, and Liz added, "All right, that's enough stalling – get to the point! How did you have this great epiphany?"

Lily paused, debating where to start. "It was that night when we battled Death Eaters in the castle… Well, it was before and after the fight, actually, when we shared a – a tender moment, I guess…" She blushed, and Liz laughed. "Do go on," she said mischievously.

Lily described what had happened that night, including how it had felt to hug James, and how she'd almost kissed him in the Hospital Wing… Liz's gaze became more and more accusatory as Lily spoke, and she finally asked, "Why didn't you tell me any of this back then? This stuff – it's _important!_ Why did you leave it out?"

"Because – what happened afterwards just drove it out of my mind!" Lily responded truthfully. "When d'you think I should've told you – while Bellatrix was busy burning down the Forest?"

"Funny," Liz said, shaking her head. "You had plenty of opportunities over the summer –"

"I was conflicted!" exclaimed Lily. "I didn't know how I felt –"

"Talking to someone may have made it clearer," Liz pointed out.

"I know – I'm sorry!" Lily said finally, "I should've told this to you a long time ago – but I didn't, and I'm sorry!"

She looked beseechingly at Liz, who sighed. "You know I can't stay annoyed with you for that long, right?" her best friend said. "I can sort of see why James fell for you so hard – blimey, your eyes _are_ beautiful!"

"I already told you, I don't swing on –" Lily started to say dryly, but Liz interrupted her again. "Shut up and continue!"

"Aye, aye, Captain," said Lily mischievously, before beginning to describe the events of last night, _after_ her nightmare… Liz listened with rapt attention as Lily described how she'd broken down and cried over his shoulder… How he'd comforted her, calmed her down, and made his Dad check on her parents… How he'd been there for her when she'd needed him, and the feeling of safety in his strong arms… And finally, the realisation of how her feelings of attraction towards him weren't just because of adverse circumstances, but in fact, very, _very_ real…

"So," she said after a nearly fifteen-minute monologue, "Bottom line – I have feelings for James Potter." Her blush grew deeper, and Liz patted her hand. "I'm glad you're all right – and it's about _damn_ time!" she exclaimed, and there was a gleam in her eyes, the same one that she'd had during Herbology. She said nothing, however, and they sat there silently for some time, with Liz holding Lily's hand and squeezing it somewhat comfortingly. Lily felt herself relax; in the past twelve hours, she had suffered a lot of emotional turmoil involving a horrible nightmare, falling asleep in James Potter's arms, and finally realising the truth of her feelings for him…

"So, what're you going to do?" Liz asked, "Are you going to tell him?"

"No!" exclaimed Lily. " _Why_ would I do that? He's moved on from me –"

Liz snorted impatiently. "Rubbish!" she exclaimed, "There's _no way_ he's moved on from you! His behaviour last night is evidence enough, isn't it? He wouldn't have been so sweet and caring if he didn't have feelings for you."

"Nah, I don't think so," Lily replied, shaking her head. "I mean, we're friends, after all… Anyone would have done the same thing – even you!" she added, wanting nothing more than to believe Liz, but knowing that what she herself said was also true.

"But he sent his Dad to your house on the basis of a – _nightmare_ ," Liz countered. "He didn't care if Mr Potter was working or sleeping, he sent him there anyway… Trust me, no 'just friend' would've done that."

Lily mulled this over, and her hopes began to rise. "Maybe you're right," she said, "But in that case, how do I tell him that if he still likes me, he should just ask me out?"

Liz rolled her eyes impatiently. "Really, Lily, didn't your relationship with Adam teach you anything?" she asked with a teasing grin.

Lily laughed. "Not really," she said truthfully. "I mean, I _was_ attracted to him, he was nice to talk to, and when he asked me out, I said yes… But our perceptions about life were very different, and I didn't see a future there…"

"Hmm – that's fair," conceded Liz. "In that case, here's what you should do… Start leaving hints for him. If he isn't over you, as I suspect he isn't, he'll understand… It's a pity, really that the next Hogsmeade weekend is tomorrow – or you could've gone on a date with him immediately!"

Lily sighed as she visualized the loss of an entire day spent with him, free from all burdens and responsibilities… She felt sadder at the thought of that not happening any time soon, even if she told James how she felt about him. There really was no guarantee that he would reciprocate her feelings, and she would feel extremely small and stupid when he would tell her, with pity in his eyes, that he _just_ didn't feel that way about her anymore…

"Well, drastic times call for drastic measures," said Liz firmly. "Leave it to me – I guarantee that you will have a date for tomorrow, a date with James!"

Lily looked at her, mortified. "Liz – promise me that you won't tell him!" she said urgently, "Or Black, or anyone, for that matter!"

Liz frowned. "Why would you make me promise that?" she asked, crestfallen.

Lily shook her head. "Promise me," she said firmly and after a few seconds of Liz glowering at her, her best friend nodded grudgingly. "Fine – I promise I won't tell anyone."

Relieved, Lily slipped her hand through Liz's. "Thanks!" she said, and Liz nodded stiffly. "D'you want to join me in the library after dinner?"

"Nah, thanks," said Liz, and Lily sensed that she was still a bit miffed. "I have some stuff that I need to take care of tonight… And I have to get ready for tomorrow, too! It's our anniversary celebration…" She blushed.

"I know – congratulations," said Lily, beaming. "I'm so happy for you both!"

"Thanks," said Liz softly, standing up; Lily imitated her, and the two of them made their way into the castle for dinner. Little did Lily know what was going on in Liz's mind, for if she did, she'd have tried her best to dissuade her from following through…

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That evening after dinner, Lily pored over her Transfiguration notes restlessly in the library. Non-verbal Conjuration was something she was getting good at, but she lacked the elegance that James Potter possessed… Besides, she was having trouble Conjuring large animals, even verbally. She knew that her wand movement wasn't right, but after reading the correct technique from her textbook about five times without understanding it, she pushed it aside with a sigh. She was unable to concentrate, and there was only one thing on her mind…

She was starting to wish that she hadn't prevented Liz from telling anyone else about her feelings for James. True, she didn't want anyone to know about that, but her resolve to sit back in the castle and study was wearing a little thin, and she was starting to feel depressed about the lack of a date for the next day. Aside from Liz, Mary and Marlene were going to go on dates with their respective boyfriends. Even Peter was going with that curly-haired fifth-year, Jeanne Howard (James had confirmed that the two were indeed going out), which left her to tag along with James and Remus. That was a potential recipe for awkwardness, considering the events of the previous night…

She groaned and put her head in her hands. If _only_ she hadn't bound Liz by her promise – for she had a shrewd idea of what Liz would have done. She would have told either of James or Sirius, and that would have set off a chain of events culminating in James Potter asking her out on a date to Hogsmeade. Well, that wasn't very likely to happen if she got lucky, _really_ lucky…

 _Really lucky_. Quick as a flash, her mind went back to the bottle of Felix Felicis in her trunk, awarded to her by Slughorn at the end of last year… Lily debated inwardly whether this situation warranted using it. Did she want James to ask her out? Yes, she did. Did she want to go on a date with him tomorrow? Yes, she did. Would taking Felix Felicis make all her endeavours succeed? Well, theoretically, that should work…

What was it that Liz had said? Drastic times called for drastic measures? Well, if these weren't drastic times, she didn't know what were… _I'm going to take it_ , she thought to herself firmly; filled with a sudden inspiration, she quickly began to pack up, when –

"Woah, leaving so early?"

She looked up and was shocked to see James Potter sitting down in front of her. She hastily dropped her books back onto the table and looked at him, flustered. "Yes," she said shortly, "I couldn't concentrate, so I was going to call it an early night." She hoped he wouldn't ask her why, though…

"Are you OK?" he asked, concerned. She understood at once that he was referring to the events of the previous night… She nodded. "Yes, thanks to you," she said, smiling warmly at him. He smiled back in relief. Silence fell between them, and just as she was debating whether she should just tell him how she felt about him and be done with it, he spoke again.

"So – Hogsmeade," he said, "I know you said last night that you didn't want to go, and I don't blame you… All of our friends have dates, even Peter, bless him! And as for Moony, he's ill again – y'know," he added, and she nodded to show that she understood. With a flutter in her stomach, she realized where he was going with this – but the difference was that _this_ time, she actually wanted him to do that…

"So – you're asking me if I'd come to keep you company?" she asked, grinning. Liz had told her to leave hints, hadn't she? Well, here was a hint!

He looked nonplussed. "Actually, I was thinking of not going, too – and maybe just hang out with you in the castle…"

He drifted off, and Lily decided to prod him a little. "C'mon, you and I can go to Hogsmeade – I can study on Sunday," she said, giving him another smile. She rejoiced inwardly as he grinned back at her. "You're sure?" he asked, and she nodded vigorously, before kicking herself mentally. _Be more obvious, why don't you?_ she thought.

"You'll be OK going with just me, right?" James asked awkwardly, and she wrinkled her forehead. "What d'you mean? Obviously… We did go to the Wimbledon final, remember?" she said, a little surprised; why was he being so weird?

"Yeah – but _this_ is different," he replied, and she could see that he seemed unsure of himself. She felt butterflies in her stomach; was this the moment? "Different how?" she asked him, a little breathlessly. "You mean as friends, right?"

The words had escaped her before she could stop herself. _You idiot_ , she thought, furious with herself… _What have you done? Now he's never going to ask you out! You just told him that you'd rather go with him as a friend than out on a date!_ Why, oh why, had she said that? The butterflies in her stomach were replaced by a sinking feeling, but she forced herself to concentrate on him – and her worst fears came true when she saw the sad look on his face.

"I wish I could say yes, Lily," he said heavily. "There was a time when I'd have said yes, certainly. I'd literally have said _anything_ to get you to go with me. But now…" He paused. "Now, I can't, 'coz I want to be honest with you. I'd like it if we went out on a date, a real date, to Hogsmeade. That is what I meant."

 _There he is, confirming that he wanted to go out as friends,_ thought Lily, crestfallen. _Oh, I'm going to kill Liz, she sounded so sure that he wasn't over me, that he still liked me – wait, what? Did he just say – date?_ "Say that again," she said, her hopes suddenly rising. "Please," she added as an afterthought, sounding rather breathless…

James looked confused. "Well, Lily – I was asking you out on a date. Would you – like to go out with me on a date tomorrow – to Hogsmeade? That was what I said." He sounded a little pained as he said it, and she was sure that it was because he thought she was going to reject him again. Her heart fluttering with ecstasy, she replied, "Yes."

"Look, I'm sorry, Lil – I promised you that I wouldn't ask you out again, but damn it – I tried, OK?" James burst out, shaking his head. Evidently, her response hadn't quite registered with him… But before she could say a word, he ploughed on, "I tried to get over you, but I couldn't do it – I couldn't! I still like you as much as ever, and that was why – wait, _what_? _What did you say?_ " He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time, and she read the astonishment mingled with hope in his hazel eyes. A slow smile spread across her face.

"Yes, James," she said warmly, her heart beating as if she'd just run a mile, "I'd love to go out on a date with you to Hogsmeade – tomorrow."

He looked so befuddled that she just _had_ to laugh at his open mouth. "Wow… I never thought you'd say yes!" he said finally, his face breaking into a crooked grin. "So – it _was_ true!"

" _What_ was true?" she asked, surprised.

"Doesn't matter," he said quickly, beaming. The happiness on his face wonderful to see… "Tomorrow, Entrance Hall, ten o'clock?"

She nodded, still smiling widely. _He asked me out!_ "Done," she said shortly… Why did she had to go red now? _Why?_

James stood up, and there was glee on his face that she had never seen before. "Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow!" he said cheerfully, and before she had a chance to even respond, he quickly exited the library, ignoring Madam Pince's glare. She hesitated for a second before walking to the door briskly; she was just in time to see him running away, but he jumped into the air and punched it jubilantly before he turned the corner and went out of sight.

She laughed and returned to her table… _He's not the only one feeling like this_ , she thought, happily anticipating what the next day would bring. It had been curiously satisfying to see him jump and punch the air as he'd run along the corridor, for that was proof, _undeniable_ proof, that Liz had been right, and she, Lily, had been wrong. James Potter still liked her, and now that she reciprocated his feelings, there was certainly a chance of something happening between them…

She smiled with genuine pleasure for the first time that day. She had a date with James Potter!

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 **Author's note:** Well, there you go… It finally happened! Honestly, I feel that this was one of my best-written chapters from Lily's PoV, but then again, that's just my opinion… What do you all think? Leave your comments in the reviews!


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for the reviews, JainRidhi, Nupurlath, Anna, and CB! Cheers!

 **JainRidhi:** Thanks, I'm glad I didn't mess up the reality vs. expectations conundrum! I hope you like the first date too!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! Yeah, it took three years, but it finally happened! And I'm so thankful to you and everyone who stuck with this story for so long!

 **Anna:** Thanks! Haha, yes – though to be fair, that is exactly what a guy would do upon successfully asking a girl out, in my opinion!

 **CB:** Thanks! Well, I'm glad I was able to stop you from quitting!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **First Date**

"You promised!" Lily burst out accusingly as she stood before Liz in their dormitory, her face flushed; her giddy happiness resulting from James asking her out on a date had soon given way to indignation as she'd realised _why_ that had happened, and she'd slung her bag over her shoulder before running all the way to her dormitory to confront her best friend. "You promised you wouldn't tell him!" she added emphatically.

Liz remained silent as Mary and Marlene stopped talking and turned to watch them, confusion on their faces. Lily saw a flicker of guilt in Liz's eyes before her face went back to its calm and stoic form. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, facing Lily squarely, as if challenging her to go on –

Lily snorted and placed her hands over her hips. "Don't you dare lie, Elizabeth Huntington!" she exclaimed, "I _know_ you told him – he asked me out on a date just a few minutes ago!" Really, who did Liz think she was kidding?

"Woah, slow down," said Marlene, raising both her hands. " _Who_ asked you out, Lily?"

Lily hesitated, and Liz folded her arms and smiled at her wickedly. "Yeah, _who_ asked you out, Lily?" she said, her sea-green eyes mischievous. "Pray tell us – we all want to know!" Beside Marlene, Mary smiled brightly too, and said, "Oh, come on, Lil – tell us!"

Lily could feel her face growing hotter. She could see that there was no way out of this predicament – she herself had let slip that someone had asked her out on a date. Besides, she was a terrible liar… Still, she made a last-ditch attempt.

"Er – would you believe it if I said I got a letter from Adam?" she offered, and the other girls snorted in unison. "At least make up a _better_ story, Lil!" Marlene exclaimed over Liz and Mary's hoots of laughter. "For Heaven's sake – you're not even _trying!_ "

"Fine!" Lily exclaimed, half-amused, half-annoyed. "It wasn't Adam – happy?"

"We already know that," said Mary, shaking her head. "Ooh – who was it?" She rubbed her hands excitedly.

Lily stole another glance at Liz, who laughed and shrugged. "You let the cat out of the bag," she said matter-of-factly, "No use hiding it – spill the beans!"

Cheeks flushed, Lily knew that she was beaten. Staring anywhere but at her friends, she sighed and said softly, "It was James – James asked me out."

"Louder!" said Liz, her voice full of amusement, as Mary asked urgently, "Who was it? _Who?_ "

"James Potter!" Lily burst out, a little piteously.

"Wow!" squealed Mary, and Liz grinned in a smug, self-satisfied sort of way, but Marlene rolled her eyes. "So – what else is new?" the brunette said, raising her eyebrows. "Not like it hasn't happened before!"

"Nah – this time it's different," said Liz, holding up a hand to silence Marlene, before turning back to Lily. "What did you say when he asked you out, Lil?"

Lily looked at her friends one by one: Liz, standing in front of her, her beaming face alight with happiness; Mary, sitting on her bed, her eyes shining; and Marlene, who continued to look sceptical.

"Well?" Liz demanded again. " _What did you say?_ "

"I – I said – I said y-yes –"

One second of silence passed before Mary let out another squeal of delight and raised her arms in celebration. Liz and Marlene hugged Lily one after another, and Marlene exclaimed, "That's so wonderful!"

Panting slightly, Lily said, "Seriously – it's not that big a deal – it's just one date to Hogsmeade…"

" _Just one date to Hogsmeade?_ " repeated Mary incredulously. "Lil – the poor bloke has been trying to get you to go out with him for years! I'd say that for him, it's more than just a date – it's a reward for years and years of effort!"

"I'm _so_ happy you said yes to him!" exclaimed Liz, smiling as widely as she'd done in Herbology that morning. "I _knew_ you would end up together – you and James are meant to be –"

"Hey, slow down," said Lily fretfully, "I'm just going out on _one_ date with him. It's not like he proposed, and I said yes…"

But even as she spoke, a vivid picture appeared before her eyes… She was in the woods behind Potter Mansion, just beyond the yard; it was evening, and the sky was a beautiful orange colour… The sun was just visible on top of the trees… She was wearing beautiful bottle-green dress robes, and her gaze went to the trail that led to the meadow… She saw someone wearing crimson dress robes approaching her – someone with untidy black hair and round glasses –

She quickly shook herself out of the reverie, in time to hear Liz say shrewdly, "But when he does, you'll say yes, won't you?"

"Slow down! It's just one date!" Lily exclaimed, her face beetroot red. She thanked her stars that none of her friends were performing Legilimency.

"So – what're you going to wear tomorrow? Your dress robes?" asked Mary excitedly, "Oh, do wear them – you look beautiful in those!"

"What? No! NO!" exclaimed Lily, shaking her head vigorously "He'll think I'm mad! I'm just going to wear my school robes – and I'm sure he is, too! I may straighten my hair, though –"

"Oh, let me do it, please!" begged Mary. Lily knew that Mary would do a much better job with her hair than herself, and she smiled at her friend. "Fine," she said, and Mary jumped and clapped her hands excitedly as Liz and Marlene rolled their eyes.

"Leave it to us to decide your appearance – dress-wise," said Liz, and Marlene nodded in assent, frowning as she thought hard. "Hmm, Liz – d'you think she should wear a ponytail?" she asked, and Liz frowned appraisingly, too. "Nah, no need," she said, shaking her head, "Her hair looks fine as it is right now… We could use Sleekeazy's Hair Potion… Only a bit of it, though, no need to use too much –"

"Yeah, and don't use those jeans you've been wearing all week – they'll stink –"

"Yes, and how about _these_ jeans? They're black, so they would go with your robes nicely –"

"Ooh, wear this!" exclaimed Marlene as she rummaged around in Lily's cupboard, "Look – he gave this to you, didn't he?" She was holding the t-shirt that read 'Converted', and Lily flushed. "Yes," she said shortly, "Last year – as a Christmas present –"

"How cute!" said Mary, and began to giggle uncontrollably. To Lily's chagrin, Marlene joined in, but Liz made a tutting noise and said, "Focus, you lot! Lily –" she added, turning to Lily, "—I think you should wear this t-shirt and these black jeans… And those high heels, too, come to think of it –"

"Yes, good idea," said Marlene thoughtfully, "They'll accentuate your curves… Very nicely, I might add –"

"Marlene!" Lily exclaimed, mortified, and the other girls laughed again; however, Lily felt worried of something else. "What if it rains tomorrow?" she exclaimed to the room at large, "I'd look like a real prat, wearing high heels and running for cover, completely off-balance –"

"But that's _exactly_ why you must wear them!" exclaimed Liz, her eyes mischievous, "That way, when you slip and have difficulty in maintaining your balance, it'll gave James a chance to act like a gentleman and help you… Come to think of it, he may even carry you like a bride, just to avoid soiling your precious shoes –"

Mary and Marlene burst into loud laughter, and Lily's blush grew, if possible, even further. "I'm not wearing high heels tomorrow!" she burst out decisively, her cheeks flaming. Marlene patted her hand. "Don't worry, Lil," she said reassuringly, "According to the weather report on the wireless, tomorrow's forecast is pleasantly cool and sunny. No clouds, no rain – perfect Quidditch conditions, in fact," she added to Liz, a little wistfully. Liz snorted. "Focus, Marlene!" she exclaimed, and Marlene laughed.

"And this scarf – oh, it's so elegant, Lil, and it'll go perfectly with that t-shirt!" exclaimed Mary, holding Lily's green scarf; it was a sleek, elegant and beautifully-made silk scarf, a Christmas present from Matt last year. Lily was surprised that she'd never used it until now, before remembering why: she'd thrown all her Christmas presents from last year in a heap in her cupboard on returning to Hogwarts, so upset had she been after her quarrel with James over the holidays. _Oh, no_ , she thought… _Why am I linking everything to James?_

Mary was speaking again, and Lily quickly focused on her. "Just wear it on top of your robes – and you're done!" said Mary, and Lily nodded mutely. Clearly, her friends were a lot more enthusiastic about dressing her up than she herself was… _Well, I'll let them have their fun_ , she thought wryly. _After all, they've teased me with James for months…_

"Yes – that'll do!" Liz exclaimed enthusiastically, and Marlene gave Lily an appraising sort of nod. "The t-shirt he gave you, black jeans, black school robes – with heels and a scarf to touch up… I say, Lil," she said, "Why don't you wear a hairband? I can see it going perfectly with that long, straight hair!"

"You know – that's a smashing idea, Marlene," said Liz, "D'you have a hairband, Lil?"

"Er, no," said Lily, shaking her head. "Come to think of it, I think James does – so, I could just ask him," she added dryly, and her friends laughed heartily, leaving her gratified. "Nah – I've got a better one," said Marlene; with a wink towards Lily, she produced a dull black hairband. "That'll go nicely with your hair and robes," she said cheerfully.

Lily tried it on with some trepidation, but she knew that it would suit her as she felt it slide backwards through her hair with no resistance at all. "Yeah, suits you all right," said Marlene, satisfied. "Told you!" she added smugly to no one in particular.

"Yeah – once we're through with you tomorrow, you're going to look absolutely gorgeous!" Liz exclaimed, with a most uncharacteristic show of excitement.

"Not as gorgeous as you," whispered Lily, a little enviously. She supposed that she _was_ pretty, but nowhere close to Liz; her best friend, with a killer figure, perfect breasts, a tall and slim frame, along with elbow-length blonde hair and sea-green eyes that seemed to have a permanent sparkle in them, was certainly _drop-dead_ gorgeous. The fact that she was going out with someone who was as good-looking as she, was the main (and possibly the only) reason why no boy dared to ogle at her. Lily had spent a lot of time teasing Liz that their children would put even Adonis or Aphrodite to shame.

"I heard that," said Liz, "And you must know by now that I mean what I say. By the time we're through with you tomorrow – if Sirius doesn't stare at you with his mouth wide open for a full ten seconds, I'll seriously start having doubts over whether he's straight – or gay." Mary and Marlene laughed harder than ever, and an unwilling smile came over Lily's face.

No amount of prodding from Mary and Marlene could get Lily to disclose why she'd said yes to James, however… She remained tight-lipped about her nightmare and her subsequent realisation about her feelings, not wanting to go through that discussion again. She'd already put the nightmare behind her, but it hadn't stopped her from writing to her parents and telling them how much she missed them immediately after dinner that evening and sending Cavana off promptly. She supposed that she wouldn't feel completely at peace until she heard back from them; she knew she was being a little silly, but didn't care… The war was making her more and more worried for her parents, and she couldn't wait to graduate and help protect them.

She remained with the other girls until it was time for her patrol; much to her embarrassment, her friends seemed to be curiously inclined to reminisce about James's elaborate and eloquent attempts to ask her out during their fifth year, and she could feel herself blushing as she remembered everything. _Hmm_ , she thought as Marlene sang a poem James had sung for her once, _Maybe I was harsh with him before… Maybe he_ did _like me for_ me _, and not just the idea of going out with me! Oh, I wish I hadn't trusted Severus's judgement so much…_ She sighed. Unwilling as she was to admit it, she'd forced herself to be blind to James's chivalry, honour and nobility – all because of Severus and his loathing of James.

"Ooh, look at the time!" Mary said suddenly, "Lil – don't you have to go for your patrol?"

"Oh, yes!" Lily exclaimed, suddenly standing up. "Dammit – wish I could get someone to substitute for me –"

"Don't want to face him so soon, eh?" Marlene asked shrewdly.

"What was your first clue?" Lily responded, a little flustered. "Oh, no… It's going to be embarrassing, not to mention awkward –"

"Oh, please," said Liz dismissively. Then her tone softened. "Don't worry, you'll be fine… Perhaps you can just ask him what drove him to ask you, and whether he ever moved on from you or was he just faking it –"

"Yeah, because _that's_ not awkward at all," Lily muttered, as Marlene and Mary laughed.

"Trust me – you'll be fine," said Liz reassuringly. "If you don't want to go the HQ tonight – you have the option of coming here for a kip –"

"Y'know, I was thinking of that," said Lily, and her friends nodded. "See you in an hour, then," said Marlene, and Lily waved at them all before walking out of the dormitory swiftly. She greeted Jane on the way to the common room, coming to a halt as soon as she stepped into it – for at that very moment, someone most familiar alighted from the spiral staircase leading to the boys' dormitories. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she realised that it was James.

"Er – hi," she said tentatively, and he grinned crookedly at her. "Shall we?" he asked, and she nodded, allowing him to lead the way out of the common room. They commenced their patrol, spending a few minutes in silence before she broke it. "So – told the others, did you?" she asked with a grin to disguise her awkwardness.

"You know _that's_ right," he responded with a chuckle. "Did you?"

"Er – sort of," she said, "I didn't intend to, but I let it slip –"

He laughed. "They would've loved that."

"They sure did," she responded wryly. A few seconds of silence passed before she ventured, "Er – can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," he said mischievously, and she rolled her eyes. "Idiot," she said good-naturedly, "What I want to know, is – what made you ask me out tonight?" She couldn't help it, she went red as she spoke; however, so did he, mitigating her embarrassment somewhat. Shaking it off, he simply grinned at her and said, "I – ah – had an intuition that you'd say yes this time." He tried to come off as smooth, but it was unconvincing… _Looks like he won't give Liz up so easily_ , she thought. Though determined to hear it from him that Liz had been the one who'd tattled, she couldn't bring herself to pursue the subject, and tactfully decided to drop it. "I'm glad your – er, _intuition_ – was spot on, then," she said, giving him an impish smile. He gave her a little wink in return before grinning back at her.

They walked along for a bit before he broke the silence. "I think I can finally tell you why I split up with Ollie," he said without preamble, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "Well, sure – but what brought this on?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged. "Maybe the time is right," he said, a little mysteriously, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, just tell me," she said, and he chortled. "Right," he said, "Well… You may have guessed this, actually – it was, well, because of – er, _you_."

"What?" exclaimed Lily, "How come? I didn't even –"

"No, no – you didn't have anything to do with it," James said quickly, holding up his hands, "Sorry… I didn't mean it like that. What I meant is, er – well, you see – that night, when the Death Eaters attacked you and I got in the way of the two Cruciatus Curses meant for you –"

"And saved my life," Lily said softly, giving his hand a little squeeze. He smiled and said, "Not exactly – I told you, you could've taken them, but you'd just been hit by one, and I – I couldn't bear it." He looked away, and she squeezed his hand again, feeling gratified at how much he cared about her… "Go on," she encouraged, and he nodded. "Right – anyway, in the Hospital Wing, there was a moment when – when, er –"

"I almost kissed you?" Lily blurted out, blushing.

He blushed, too. "Well, yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair, "But that wasn't all… You see, the thing is, I _wanted_ you to kiss me. I could see that you wanted to, as well… And if Madam Pomfrey hadn't interrupted us, we – well, we probably would've."

"Yeah," agreed Lily. _Who am I kidding?_ she thought… _'Course we would've!_

"Well – when we didn't, that got me thinking," continued James. "You see – I was already going out with Ollie… And if I wanted to kiss another girl, _you_ though it may be," he added with a slight grin, "It – well, it wasn't really fair to Ollie… I spent the next few days evaluating my feelings before deciding to end it with her. I had the brains to wait until her OWLs were over, though…"

"Good call," said Lily dryly, and James laughed. "Yeah, I suppose… Anyway, Ollie was cut up about it, but she told me something very important." He paused, then continued, "She asked me if I still liked you, if I still wanted to go out with you – and I told her that I didn't know, that I was conflicted. She said – she thought I wouldn't have to wait too long to find out…" He grinned at her. "I see now what she meant…"

"What?" Lily asked curiously.

"She probably figured that _you_ liked _me_ , too – you just didn't know it yet," said James, now practically beaming. Lily smiled as she remembered her conversation with Liz earlier that afternoon… Hadn't she realised the same thing herself? "Perceptive, isn't she?" she said lightly, and he nodded. "I remember thinking that day – that someday I'd be glad I did the right thing and split up with her. I just didn't know it would be so soon!" he added, smiling. She smiled back at him as the continued their patrol.

They made some more light conversation for some time before stopping by at the kitchens; to her slight surprise, James told her to wait outside before dashing off and returning within a minute with some delicious chocolate fudge. "To new beginnings," he said, and she laughed. "Aren't you supposed to drink something during a toast?" she asked mischievously. He shook his head. "Sugar's better," he said determinedly, and stuffed the rather large piece of fudge in his mouth. Shaking her head, Lily proceeded to ear her own piece with little nibbles, prolonging the process for as long as she could (for she knew that he had his eyes on her piece) before relenting and giving him some of it, much to his joy.

He reminded her to meet him at ten o'clock the next day just as they came up to Gryffindor tower, at the end of their patrol. "Not going to the HQ tonight, then?" she asked shrewdly, and he grinned. "Neither are you," he pointed out, and she shrugged. Then, acting quickly, she planted a little kiss on his cheek like she'd done several times before – but this time, it felt _different_. It didn't feel like a parting kiss – nay, it made her heart flutter with anticipation…

They climbed into the portrait hole, and she gave James a little wave. "G'Night, then," she said softly, "See you tomorrow!"

"I'm looking forward to it," he replied, giving her his trademark crooked grin. She returned it before climbing the spiral staircase to her old dormitory, wondering happily what the next day would bring…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Saturday dawned bright and pleasant. It was sunny, and the sky was light blue with no clouds; it seemed as if conditions would be perfect for Lily's date with James. Lily had stayed in the girls' dormitory the night before, and it had been a lot of fun… A smile came over her face. It _had_ to have been the most fun she'd had in recent times…

She sighed. She'd missed them…

Unfortunately, things weren't going so well in the morning.

"Stay still!" ordered Mary as she tried to straighten Lily's hair with a Charm. "Stop fidgeting!"

"I can't help it!" exclaimed Lily worriedly, "I always fidget when I'm nervous!"

"Well, you're going to have to get a grip on yourself, otherwise you'll be late," said Mary patiently. "And trust me – no boy likes a girl to be late on their first date!"

Lily glanced at her watch and gave a little cry of despair. "It's nine-forty-five! I'm never going to make it in time!" she moaned. Mary patted her shoulder. "I'm almost done – you're going to be fine, trust me!" she said reassuringly; she waved her wand and muttered incantations, following which Lily's hair became perfectly straight. Smiling, Mary handed her Marlene's hairband and said, "There you go – you're all set!"

With a nervous nod, Lily wore the hairband and stood in front of the full-length mirror. Her eyes widened in surprise… She'd supposed that she wasn't bad-looking, but she almost didn't recognize the _beautiful_ girl who stared back at her from the mirror. Her hair was straight, and the hairband made it look even prettier. The tight-fitting black jeans and the white t-shirt complemented each other perfectly (though her black school robes hid most of her top). She looked at the scarf that was draped loosely around her neck; it was the perfect shade of her emerald eyes ( _Thank you, Matt_ , she thought, making a note to write him a letter). The two-inch heels made her look a little taller than her five-foot-six frame, and she supposed that her head would go above James's shoulder, certainly. A slow smile spread across her face… Liz had been right. She looked _gorgeous!_

Marlene popped her head into the dorm at that moment and looked at Lily admiringly. "Wow – you look beautiful, Lily!" she exclaimed, before turning to Mary and saying, "Great job with her hair, Mary –" Mary smiled at that, "—it's straighter than an erect –"

"Don't!" Mary exclaimed, before starting to giggle uncontrollably, "Stop it, Mar!"

Marlene merely chuckled, and a blush spread across Lily's face; she'd had made a lot of innuendos the night before, something which had reduced them all into wild and convulsive laughter. Lily wished that Liz was there right now, too… But she was waiting for Black in the common room, allowing her some more time to get ready. _Good call, Liz_ , she thought, turning to face Mary and Marlene. "Thanks – thanks so much, you two," she said gratefully, "I'm sorry I made you late for your dates –"

But they only grinned. "I foresaw that," said Mary, "So I told Roger that we'd meet at ten-thirty, and he was OK with that." Marlene nodded and said, "I'm meeting Paul at eleven – you know I like sleeping in on Saturdays… But this morning, duty called!" She grinned and added, "So – good luck – and we want all the details!"

"Yes," said Mary, smiling playfully, "Especially how and where he kissed you – and how it made you feel!" Lily blushed further but only gave them a tiny nod; she had no intention of sharing her first-date experience with James Potter with anyone, but she couldn't say that out loud. "Well – see you, then!" she said, and with an energetic wave towards them, she quickly began to make her way to the Entrance Hall with her heart beating faster than usual…

What would James say when he saw her? Would he compliment her? Would he like the way she was looking? Would he appreciate her wearing the t-shirt he'd given her for Christmas last year? And where would they go? They'd both already been to Hogsmeade so many times, that she couldn't really see what new stuff they could do once they were there… Her perturbation mounting, she climbed out of the portrait hole and set off towards the Great Hall as quickly as she could in her heels with her mind still in a turmoil.

What would they talk about? They'd been friends for a year, so they did know each other pretty well. So… Would there be any novelty on their date? Would he get bored with her? And what if he decided to make physical contact? _Well, you've already hugged him several times_ , said the logical voice inside her brain… She shook her head; this was different. What if he played with her hair, or patted her shoulder? What if he held her hand? How would she react in that case? And would he want to kiss her? She wished she'd asked Liz these very questions the night before. Instead, she had spent the night getting teased and laughing at inappropriate jokes and innuendos. She mentally kicked herself. Why had she been such a fool?

There was one odd thing, though. She'd already been on a first date before, with Adam… So, why was this date any different? Why was she, Lily Evans, reduced to a bundle of nerves? The answer came to her immediately.

 _It's because I'm going to go out with James…_

She realized at that moment that she was at the Entrance Hall. With butterflies in her stomach, she spotted the three people she was looking for: Liz, beautiful as always, talking to Black, who looked more handsome than ever, even in simple jeans and a well-ironed blue shirt… She smiled; it seemed like he was looking forward to his and Liz's anniversary date as much as Liz was. Her smiled widened as she saw the person standing with them…

James.

An inexplicable sense of pleasure and joy filled her heart lifted at once as she took in the tall, well-built frame of James Potter, in a sophisticated-looking shirt and blue jeans beneath his school robes… She felt gratified that he'd listened to what she'd said last night, for his normally-untidy hair looked rather well-groomed… His soft facial features stood out more than ever, and one look at him was enough for all her nervousness to give way to happy anticipation. Oh, she was going to enjoy this… A lovely smile on her face, she strode purposefully towards him and the others, and caught a bit of their conversation as she came closer.

"—I don't see why you had to flatten your hair, though –"

"She wanted me to!"

"So? Your hair is what defines you –"

"Oh, for Heaven's Sake, Blackie! Your hair's fine, James, it suits you when you make an effort with it –"

"Hi," Lily said shyly, and they all turned to look at her. She could see an expression of deep admiration come over James's face and suddenly felt self-conscious as his appreciative gaze travelled from her hair to the t-shirt she wore to her jeans, and all the way down to her two-inch heels. Finally, he looked straight into her eyes.

"You look amazing!" he said brightly.

"Thanks," she said, even more shyly, and she felt her face grow hot. She quickly averted her eyes to see Black ogling at her, his grey eyes wide and an expression of befuddlement on his face. "What?" she asked, a little defensively, but feeling a little gratified at the way he was looking at her, "Seriously, Black, it's your anniversary! You should know better than checking out other girls!" she added impishly, grinning at his open mouth.

He shook his head slightly, as if to come back to his senses, and said quickly, "Er, no, no, Evans – I was just –"

"Admiring her beauty?" Liz cut across him, amused, and he looked somewhat guilty. "Well, I should be offended," continued Liz, "But – since I played an important part in making her look like this, I suppose it's a compliment." Her sea-green eyes glowed mischievously, and she winked at Lily, who grinned.

"Hey – she's taken, Padfoot," said James, and put an arm around Lily's shoulder rather protectively. An electricity-like jolt ran up her spine as she felt his touch (What was going on? He hadn't even touched her skin – merely her robes!), and she fought hard to keep from blushing.

"As are you, Blackie," said Liz firmly to her boyfriend, who looked even more guilty. "I know, I know," he said, holding up his hands, "I'm sorry, Liz… It's just that – well –"

"You're not used to seeing her look – er – _gorgeous?_ " asked Liz smoothly, but with a mischievous glint in her sea-green eyes.

"Well – yes," said Black distractedly before an expression of utmost dismay came over his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean that," he said apologetically to Lily, "Not that you don't look nice every day, Evans – I mean –"

Luckily, Liz put him out of his misery by linking her hand in his. "Well – come on, you," she said decisively, "Let's get you away from Lily before you ejacul –"

"Liz!" Lily cut across her, discomfited, and her best friend grinned. "See you for tea at the Three Broomsticks?" she asked, and Lily nodded quickly, as did James. "Well, have fun!" she added, and set off with Black with a final smile and a wave at Lily and James, but not before giving Lily a knowing look that further deepened her blush.

"Er – shall we?" asked James, and she was relieved to see that he, too, sounded a little awkward. "Sure," she said softly, and they set off towards the gates after Sirius and Liz. "D'you want to walk – or would you prefer the carriages?" asked James, and she said, "Let's walk – it isn't too far, anyway, and it's such a beautiful day!"

He grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that," he said happily, and they began to make the walk along the road that led to Hogsmeade.

"Do you remember the first time we came here?" she asked him reminiscently. His grin grew wider from beside her. "As if it were yesterday," he said. "I seem to recall you being scared to venture into the passage – and not even knowing what Hogsmeade was," he added teasingly, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well – I'd never even heard of the place! And I wasn't scared – that was Peter!" she added, a little indignantly. "I merely suggested that someone stays behind to raise the alarm if we're gone for too long…"

"And that worked out well – very well, in fact," he said admiringly, "I knew you were special, Lil… Your ability to think logically in crunch situations where quick decisions need to be made is unbelievable! You've been doing that for years – duelling with Bellatrix to distract her at the end of last year, for instance –"

The praise seemed to be getting a little out of hand, and she said quickly, "Oh, c'mon! You're not too bad yourself… That first time in Hogsmeade, you just _stood_ in front of me – I seem to remember the words, 'To get to her, you have to get through me first'!" she added with a grin, and he laughed. "Yeah, that was a little idiotic –" he started to say, but she cut him off.

"No," she said firmly, shaking her head, "Reckless, maybe… But idiotic, not a chance. We weren't friends back then, but you still stood up for me without batting an eyelid… It was very brave and sweet of you." She touched his hand lightly, and he squeezed it. "I'd do it again if I had to," he said firmly… He interlinked his fingers with hers just as he'd done two nights ago, and she relished his touch. Holding hands, they walked the rest of the way, talking about the first time they'd been to Hogsmeade…

Contrary to her misgivings, Lily found it extremely easy to talk to him. It was just – _natural_ … She was also getting the inexplicable sense that he was being freer with her than he'd ever been – which was a bit of a surprise, considering how close they'd gotten… She'd found it a lot easier to lower her guard than he had, though, and she could understand why. She was sure he'd been holding back because he hadn't been sure how she'd behave with him, given their history… But he'd started to relax a bit once he'd been sure that she wasn't reacting in her usual antagonistic way, and now – now, they were actually on their first date! How things had changed within the blink of an eye…

They wandered along the Main Street for a while, before he stopped in front of Honeydukes. "I heard that they'd opened a new section with unusual tastes," he said, "Want to check it out?" Curious, she said, "Sure, why not?" He grinned at her as they stepped into the sweetshop and headed straight to the section marked 'Unusual Tastes'.

Lily looked at the various sweets on the shelves: Blood-Flavoured Lollipops, Acid Pops, Bat-Blood Soup, Cockroach Cluster… She shuddered slightly, and said, "Wow – these tastes are too unusual for my – er, taste." James laughed at the poor joke and said, "I dunno – I might just try out Acid Pops… Should be fun, eh?"

She grinned and punched him lightly on the arm. "Need I remind you that you and I have _vastly_ different ideas of fun?" He grinned at her and asked, a little mockingly, "Yeah, yeah – I know – you're too uptight when it comes to fun –"

"What? No!" she exclaimed. He raised his eyebrows, and she allowed, "Well – _maybe_ a little…"

"Better," he said dryly, and she shook her head. "C'mon," she said, "I can appreciate a prank at times – like the time you all put that Singing Charm in everyone's pumpkin juice –"

"Oh – yeah," he said, smiling at the memory, "Yeah, that was hilarious – but quite beside the point." He gave her a meaningful look. "What I meant was – you wouldn't pull off a prank on your own, would you?"

"We-e-ll," she said, considering, "I _think_ I can – certainly!"

"Oh, I don't doubt that," he said, grinning. "The question is – _will_ you?"

"Yes," said Lily, a little forcefully, smirking as she saw his eyebrows go up in surprise. "Oh, really?" he challenged, "Come on, then – think of something right now. Go on – you can use these 'Unusual Tastes' to your benefit, and you have to prank Sirius – oh, yes, I'm going to give you the difficult task of pranking an expert, so that you can prove that you can walk the talk." He grinned wickedly.

"Fine," she said, "But you're going to have to help me, in that case." He nodded in assent, and his grin grew wider. "Who would have thought? Head Girl, do-gooder Lily Evans – out to play a practical joke?" he said teasingly, and she blushed; she punched him lightly on the arm again and said, "Well – at least I'm trying."

He laughed and said, "All right, I'll give you that, and if it fails, I'll take full responsibility. That OK? Now – exercise your creativity…"

Nodding, she glanced at the shelf, and immediately took the jar labelled 'Cockroach Cluster'. "I say – these look an awful lot like peanuts," she said to him, opening the jar and examining a few of the 'sweets'. He nodded and said, "So? I doubt if Sirius will eat them if you just give them to him – he's not an idiot."

Lily grinned, a grin most uncharacteristic to her own. With a sudden inspiration, she said, "Not if he thought they were something like, say, Peanut Fudge…" She looked around and spotted a box on a shelf labelled 'Chocoballs'. Immediately retrieving it, she said, "Look at these – we could tell him that 'Peanut Chocoballs' is a new sweet being sold at Honeydukes – and stuff these Chocoballs with a Cockroach Cluster each! He won't see it coming!" She giggled at the thought of Sirius Black spitting the cockroach-flavoured sweets from his mouth, and James laughed along with her. "Hey! _Now_ you're talking!" he said brightly, and put his arm around her; she felt the jolt of electricity once again, and began to imagine his lips kissing hers –

"You seem to be a natural at this, Lily," he said admiringly, breaking into her thoughts. A little flustered, she said, "Oh, it's nothing – elementary, my dear James." He looked confused, and she said quickly, "It's a catchphrase of Sherlock Holmes, the detective – to his sidekick, Dr Watson…" He continued to look confused, and she took his hand and said, "Never mind… C'mon, let's go – have to pay for these…"

Together, they went towards the counter, and James insisted on paying for all the sweets, including No-Melt Ice Cream for them both. They bought a bunch Chocoballs and two pieces of Cockroach Cluster, so that they could prank both Sirius and Liz; James also bought a bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate for Remus, and Lily knew that it was to help him the day after his transformation. _It's great how he cares so much about his friends_ , she thought as they stepped back onto the Main Street, carrying their bags.

They spent about an hour going around in different shops, and Lily graciously stayed with James as he bought several joke items from Zonko's, albeit with the promise that as Head Boy, he wouldn't be _directly_ involved in any acts of rule-breaking using the products he was buying (she was sceptical of this, but tactfully chose to drop it). They went to the Three Broomsticks at around noon, but to her surprise, James walked right past it, prompting her to ask, "Oh, we're not going there for lunch?"

"Nope," he replied with a smirk, "C'mon, we're going to the lake!" He grinned at her mystified face. "You mean – like a picnic?" she asked, and his grin widened. "Exactly – something like that," he said evasively, "Shall we?"

"Lead the way, kind sir," she responded with a wide smile, and allowed him to lead her along a path she'd never taken before. "Interesting – I assume it's just a short walk to the lake?" she asked, and he nodded. "You see, the lake extends all the way to Hogsmeade – just behind the station. It isn't a well-known spot, really… Most people just prefer sitting lakeside back at Hogwarts, it's much more convenient!"

They walked up to an oak tree right by the lake, and James conjured a picnic mat from nowhere for them to sit down. She did so cheerfully, and he promptly sat down in front of her. "Well – time for lunch," he said energetically, and raised his wand; about ten seconds later, a picnic basket came whooshing up to them, much to Lily's astonishment.

"Did you just Summon that non-verbally?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He grinned. "Nothing gets by you, does it?" he responded, causing her to glow. "So – what's in it?" she asked eagerly, feeling the first rumblings of hunger in her stomach – she'd been so tense that morning, she'd hardly had any breakfast.

"Let's find out, shall we?" he invited, and lifted the lid off the basket. "Hmm – chicken sandwiches!" he said happily. "Sausage rolls, pâté, and – ooh, this looks like egg-and-tomato salad!"

"Let's start with that," said Lily, and he nodded in agreement. "Sure," he said, and removed the salad container from the basket; he also removed a two bowls with lids on them, saying, "There's soup too – here!"

"Nice – this is great!" she exclaimed as she tasted the soup, "But tell me – how was this basket just ready and waiting to be Summoned? Did you Summon it from – the Three Broomsticks?"

"Even better," he said proudly, "I fixed it with the house-elves last night – told them I wanted a picnic lunch tomorrow, and they were only too happy to help!"

"So that's why you wouldn't let me enter the kitchens last night!" Lily exclaimed, realisation hitting her in a flash, "I _thought_ that was pretty odd –"

James only smiled, and she beamed right back at him. "Well – I _have_ to hand it to you, this was a great idea – very well thought-out!"

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, and she was gratified to see the ecstasy on his face; it was clear how _hard_ he'd been hoping that she'd _like_ this. Well, she did – and she was enjoying every minute of it…

"Besides, we've been to Hogsmeade so many times that lunch at the Three Broomsticks is sort of mundane for a first date," he continued. "I wanted today to be memorable for you, see?"

She sighed happily as she munched her sausage roll. "Oh, you didn't have to worry about that," she said softly. "It's already memorable –" his grin widened, and she wondered if she should go on and say what was on her mind, before deciding to put thought into action, "because – I'm with you."

His beaming face simply said it all: his grin was brighter than a thousand suns, and he seemed at a loss for words, for he simply raised his goblet of pumpkin juice at her before proceeding to drink from it. She returned his grin before going back to her food with interest; it was too delicious for words. "What's for dessert?" she asked with a smirk, and he chuckled. "You'll find out!" he said mysteriously, and remained tight-lipped about it despite her many attempts to make him reveal it to her.

They spent lunch talking about a wide variety of topics… They lightly discussed their last Hogsmeade visit, when Liz and Sirius had hit a rough patch before making up quickly ("I always hoped they'd end up together, she makes him so happy!" James said, much to Lily's joy), and whether they'd get married after seventh year ("Well – engaged, maybe?" suggested Lily). Lily confided into him that she was still worried about her performance in Transfiguration, and he reassured her that her work was all right ("Solid, if not spectacular," he said); however, she asked him if they could make their tutoring sessions more regular, and he'd acquiesced, declaring that he was afraid of falling behind in Potions, since it wasn't exactly his favourite subject which made him least inclined to study it. She laughed and said, "C'mon – you're OK at it, you just need a push to work harder every now and then!" He smiled mischievously at her, saying, "Yeah, well – that's _your_ responsibility now!"

Lily finished her pumpkin juice and sat contentedly with her back against the oak tree trunk. "Wow, I'm full!" she said lazily. "That was delightful – thanks, James," she added, blushing slightly.

He grinned. "Wait till you see what's for dessert!" he replied.

"Ooh, what?" Lily said eagerly as he rummaged around in the basket before looking up with a grin. "Here it is," he said triumphantly, and held up a little box with very familiar lettering on the lid –

" _Café Delizioso?_ " she asked excitedly before looking up at him in wonder. "How –?"

"Not important," he interrupted, "Go on, open it!"

She enthusiastically opened the box and squealed with delight as she saw the slice of tiramisu in it. "Ooh, this is incredible – I never imagined –" Unable to stop herself, she threw herself into his arms impulsively, giving him a tight hug and a quick peck on the cheek before drawing back, her face flushed with embarrassment… What had come over her?

"For that, I'll get you tiramisu every day," he declared lightly, but she could see the delight in his hazel eyes. She laughed despite herself, and he handed her a fork, as if to indicate that they eat the tiramisu… They finished it in record time, and Lily lay back against the tree once again, feeling blissful contentment.

James cleared up the remains of their picnic lunch with a wave of his wand before lying down on the grass and rather daringly putting his head in her lap. She didn't mind; rather, she enjoyed his closeness even more… She resisted the urge to kiss him then and there, thinking that he should be the one to initiate it. She played with his hair instead as they whiled away the afternoon, talking mostly about their families… He listened with amusement as she told him about how she'd turned Matt's cup into a crab more than ten years ago, before adding that they'd mended their relationship… He told her a few interesting anecdotes about his Dad's and Mum's jobs before sombrely adding that the current lull in attacks across Britain had his Dad worried, and the Auror Office was working against time to figure out what Voldemort's next move was likely to be… "But of course, the Ministry are fools – they think _they're_ the reason the attacks have stopped for now," he added derisively, and she shook her head. "It's surprising how often they act like a bunch of pompous old buffoons," she said, and he laughed. "That's because they _are_ – pompous old buffoons," he deadpanned, and the pair of them guffawed together.

James glanced at his watch and sat up quickly. "Ooh, it's nearly three o'clock," he said, "D'you want to go for a walk around the village before we meet Sirius and Liz for tea?"

"Sure!" she said, and they stood up; picking up their bags, they wandered around the village, and James pointed out the house they'd been held in during their first visit to the village… Lily shuddered slightly. She'd encountered Bellatrix Black (now Lestrange, wasn't it?) twice before in her life, and both times had been about as pleasant as cleaning toilets without magic… She hoped that it would be a long time before she encountered Bellatrix again – for she knew that an encounter was inevitable, given the fact that she was going to take up arms against the menace that was Lord Voldemort…

"So – c'mon, tell me," she said as they walked towards the Three Broomsticks, "How _did_ you get the tiramisu?"

He grinned. "Magic," he said dryly, and she mock-punched him on the arm. "Tell me or I'll hex you," she said, with a threatening sort of smirk.

"Ha – try me," he said challengingly, and grinned as her she stuck her tongue out at him. "Ugh, fine – be like that," she said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Freshwater swab!"

He laughed. "You're cute when you swear," he said, and she made a face at him before stepping into the Three Broomsticks; they sat down at a table at the back. "Sirius and Liz aren't here yet," said James, "And I seem to recall a certain pranking challenge –"

"Two steps ahead of you," said Lily, grinning as she took out the Chocoballs and Cockroach Cluster from her bag. "Now, watch closely," she commanded, and performed a quick Merging Charm; the pieces of Cockroach Cluster quickly went straight inside two of the Chocoballs. "Nice one," said James admiringly, and she grinned at him. "Now – set these aside for Black and Liz," she instructed, and he obeyed her. "Blimey, I hope those two don't engage in snogging again," he said, echoing her thoughts and making a face, "It got a little awkward the last time we were here…"

She grinned wickedly and said, "Why do you think I'm using Cockroach Cluster?"

James looked at her incredulously for a second before his expression changed to one of venerated respect. "My, my – Lily Evans, you sly little vixen," he said admiringly, "I should know better by now not to underestimate how cunning you are! I mean, you were cunning enough to force me to make a deal with you to not be a pain in Snape's –"

"Sssshhh," she said, and put a finger to his lips. "No Snape talk, please…" Their date was going so well, and she had no desire to bring up the sensitive topic of her former best friend. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him all day… But she had a nasty feeling that he was going to find out soon enough. _Well, to heck with him_ , said the voice inside her head. _He made his choice, and you've made yours…_

Lily rested her hand on the table next to the real Chocoballs, in order to differentiate them from the joke ones. James placed his hands over hers unobtrusively, and she savoured the warmth of his touch once again… This time, it was she who interlaced her fingers into his, squeezing them gently; he responded with an even gentler squeeze, and she sighed inwardly, enjoying the closeness they were sharing… Why hadn't he tried to kiss her, though? She'd thought (hoped, rather) that he would've kissed her after lunch, but he hadn't… She felt a shiver of anticipation. She wanted that first kiss with him to be – perfect…

The door opened at that moment, and Black and Liz walked in energetically. Lily noticed other students stare a little jealously at them; it wasn't surprising, considering that the number of girls pining after Black was considerably larger than those who had a crush on James – but there was a sizeable number of boys who seemed to stare at Liz wistfully as she walked, too. _Hogwarts' most handsome couple, indeed_ , thought Lily…

Liz and Black made straight for Lily and James's table, and sat down in front of them with identical, mischievous smirks on their faces. "Aww, how cute – holding hands now, are we?" said Liz, winking at Lily, who blushed slightly. Black laughed and said, "My, you're slow, Prongs – Liz and I had kissed at least a dozen times before tea on our first date." Lily felt her face grow hotter, and James squeezed her hand reassuringly before retorting in classic James fashion, "Yeah, well – Liz isn't the only girl you kissed a dozen times on a first date, now, is she?"

Lily guffawed, and Black looked abashed; Liz elbowed him, and James laughed wickedly. Black stuck his tongue out at him before looking around. "Who are we waiting for? Let's order!" he said, and James shook his head. "Wait for Wormy, Padfoot," he said patiently, "He'll kill you if you order before he's here!"

Black shrugged. "That fat-arse – he's always late," he said dismissively, before spotting the Chocoballs on the table. "I say – you've got Chocoballs, and you wouldn't even share?" he added, before reaching out for one of the joke ones, much to Lily's delight. "Tut, tut, Prongs, I suppose being an only child means you don't know that sharing is caring – wonder if Lily here will appreciate that –"

"We were just about to give them to you," Lily cut across him swiftly, "It's a new sweet at Honeydukes… Peanut Chocoballs, with a good – er, _crunch_." She felt a twinge of excitement; was this how the Marauders felt just before the successful execution of a prank? It felt – great! "Nice," said Black appreciatively, and handed the second joke Chocoball to Liz. They bit into their sweets, and simultaneously, their expressions changed to ones of utter disgust.

Lily began to laugh, and next to her, James joined in. "Nicely done!" he exclaimed, clapping her back enthusiastically.

"Ugh – what is _in_ these?" Liz said, frowning as she put down her Chocoball.

"Cockroach Cluster," said James, still laughing uncontrollably, " _That's_ for calling me slow, Padfoot!"

Black stuck out his tongue distastefully. "I don't think I should be kissing you now, love," he said to Liz, sounding apologetic; Liz made a face and said, "There's no way you're sticking that stinking thing down my throat, Blackie." Lily and James guffawed harder as Black made a small noise of protest, but Liz just rubbed his shoulder affectionately and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, taking the sting out of her comment.

Just then, Peter joined them with his curly-haired date, Jeanne Howard; looking at James's and Lily's laughing faces and the expressions of revulsion that Liz and Sirius wore, he asked, "What did we miss?" James burst into laughter again, and Lily said wickedly, "Nothing but a potential snog-fest, Pete." Peter chuckled, and a shy smile came over Jeanne's face as well as she looked at Lily. "Hello," she said softly, Lily smiled back at her as she and Peter sat down.

They ordered tea and coffee, in addition to Madam Rosmerta's best cakes, and spent much of the next hour talking mostly about Quidditch… Lily lost the thread of the conversation after about five minutes, and she chose to interact with Jeanne instead. She found out that the Hufflepuff Prefect had a liking for Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, and Jeanne animatedly talked about her aspirations of becoming a Healer for magical creatures; but with the war in progress, she felt that she should join the fight and follow her dreams _after_ the war. Lily admired the girl's pluck; it wasn't easy to even _think_ about joining the fight, but here was someone telling her that they were willing to put their dreams on hold until it made sense to follow them… She glanced at James rather proudly. Hadn't he told her the same thing? Had _that_ been one of the reason she was so attracted to him?

James insisted on paying for Lily's coffee, and she protested a little before giving in, making a mental note of being the one to pay when they went on a second date. _Woah_ , said the voice inside her head… _Thinking about a second date already?_ She grinned. _Yes_ , she thought firmly… _There will be a second date, undoubtedly!_

They all separated after tea, and James suggested another walk to Lily. This time, they took the path to the Shrieking Shack, and stood in silence as the building came into view… "I hope Remus will be OK tonight," said Lily softly, and James squeezed her hand. "Don't worry – he will be," he said firmly. "He deals with his transformations better now –"

"Now that he's – gotten used to them?" Lily said, giving him a sideways glance. He smiled sadly. "Yeah," he said, "Something like that…"

She got the sense that he wasn't telling her something but chose to overlook it. Instead, she lightly resumed the slight disagreement from earlier… "I still feel you should've let me pay for my own coffee, James – I mean, I didn't even pay for the sweets," she said with a smile. He chuckled and said, "Blimey, Lil – it's our first date, so there's an unspoken rule that I pay for everything… And besides, it's not like I'm short on money, is it?"

She laughed and said, "But still… C'mon, don't you think it's a little – sexist?"

"I was so sure you were going to say – _chivalrous_ ," he replied dryly, and she rolled her eyes. He sighed. "Fine," he said with an air of slight resignation, "You can pay when we go out next time – happy?"

"Ooh, are you asking me out on a second date, James Potter?" she said teasingly, but with a flirtatious smile.

"There's _doubt?_ " James responded with mock-disbelief, and she laughed. "There's Mr _I'm-so-confident-I-can-hardly-put-a-foot-wrong_ again – I was almost starting to miss him," she said playfully, and he winked at her. "At your service, m'lady," he said, mock-curtseying to her, and she laughed. The stood staring at the Shrieking Shack in the distance, him with his arm around her, and her with her head on his shoulders, each immersed into their own thoughts…

"Well," he said after a few minutes of silence, "It'll be dark soon, so – we should head back."

She sighed. It had been a wonderful, wonderful day… She didn't want it to end. But the sun would be setting in a few minutes, which left them no choice but go back to Hogwarts… Aloud, she said, "Yeah, all right…"

He held out his hand, and she happily took it as they began to make their way back. They speculated on what Emily would teach them next week; James hoped that it would be some of the advanced, foreign magic she'd mentioned earlier, and Lily nodded in agreement… They were spending every DADA class practising Occlumency with more rigour than ever before, and Lily privately felt that Emily's lessons would be more helpful in a duel than whatever the new DADA professor was teaching them. Sure, she could block her mind and prevent her opponent from seeing what she was thinking – but if she didn't attack, she wouldn't win, and that's where Emily came in.

They entered the Hogwarts gates, and she noticed that James was taking a longer, more roundabout way back to the castle. Finally, he came to a stop under the beech tree near the lake, and she gave him a little smile. "Extending this walk as much as possible, are we?" she asked shrewdly.

He grinned. "Maybe," he conceded, grinning at her. She chuckled before letting out a happy sigh.

"I had a great time, James," she said softly.

"Me, too," he replied, "I've been dreaming about this day for years, and it was better than I ever imagined it to be… You don't know how much this means to me, Lily."

Her heart rate increased as she heard his low voice. Was he going to kiss her? She badly wanted him to – _so_ badly, in fact, that she decided to help him get there… Giving him a most kittenish smile that was quite unlike her, she said, "Really? Then – why don't you show me _how much_ it means to you? Go on – show me," she added coyly, hoping that he'd take the hint –

"I was hoping you'd say that," he said, his voice low and seductive. Then before she knew it, his hands were around her, and his lips were on hers…

She panicked slightly as her mind went completely blank… How was she supposed to respond? Closing her eyes, she let go of her self-control, and just allowed her natural instinct to take over. Her body began to respond to his kiss, and she threw her arms around him with great enthusiasm. His tongue found hers, and she felt a sudden upsurge in her happiness; she moved her tongue as though it was dancing along with his – his grip tightened around her body and he pressed himself even more strongly against her breasts, and she felt a frenzy of pleasure as she kissed him even more urgently –

"Ahem, ahem," someone said from behind her, and they broke apart. James looked a little dazed, and based on the giddy happiness she felt, she knew that _she_ probably looked the same, too. She turned around to find Sirius and Liz, who were both beaming. "You want to find a spot that's a little more – ah, _private_ ," said Liz impishly, "Under the tree, I ask you…"

"And Prongs, mate – seriously, you _have_ to refine your style!" exclaimed Black, grinning mockingly at James. "From here, it looked like you were trying to bite her mouth off –"

"Oh, that is it," said James with mild annoyance; turning to Lily, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and whispered, "Be right back, sweetheart," before shouting at Black, "You're dead, Padfoot!" Sirius turned around and fled, laughing, and James set off after him at a furious pace. She watched them, trying to laugh in order to cover up the embarrassment she was feeling. Liz approached her, still beaming; her sea-green eyes sparkled as she asked, "So, how did it go?"

"Wonderful," she said dreamily to her best friend, "Wonderful…"

She described their date to Liz as they waited for James and Black to reappear. Liz listened to her happily, and winked at her a couple of times, causing her to blush. _It was a glorious date,_ she thought… _Glorious!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In no time at all, the fact that Lily Evans was going out with James Potter became common knowledge. Lily suspected that Jane was the one behind this rapid spread of information; however, she was sure that several people had seen them together in Hogsmeade, so it was bound to happen anyway. Nevertheless, she was gratified with how happy the rest of their friends seemed to be to see them together; as Liz put it, "Everyone knew it was only a matter of time – you two have such great chemistry!"

The only people who seemed unhappy with this turn of events were a few fifth- and sixth-year girls who harboured crushes on James, and – obviously, Snape. Indeed, he'd alternated between glowering at her (she'd simply ignored him) and staring at James balefully during classes for about a week before reverting to ignoring the two of them. Aside from feeling a little guilty about going out with someone her former friend hated with all his heart, Lily didn't really care… This was _her_ life, and _she_ was the one to choose who she dated. And as for how that was going…

She couldn't believe how _easy_ it had been to make the transition from just being close friends with James to dating him. Earlier, she'd anyway been spending most of her free time with James: living at the HQ, patrols, and their tutoring sessions every week (where they helped each other with Transfiguration and Potions)… But now that they were going out, she'd been surprised with how – _natural_ the whole thing seemed to be. They did the same things that they were – but with a few important additions; they shared a kiss early in the morning and before going to bed every night – and whenever they could get a moment alone while not _on duty_ , as she'd sternly told James while on one of their patrols.

Luckily, the scrutiny over her and James didn't last too long; Dumbledore announced one Friday morning that Beauxbatons had defeated Durmstrang at home, which meant that if Hogwarts beat Durmstrang too (albeit away from home), they'd take top position in the 3QT, and be frontrunners to qualify for the final. There was quite a lot of excitement over this, but focus soon shifted to the Quidditch Cup, with the season-opening Gryffindor versus Slytherin match scheduled for the next day.

"Well – hope we start with a win today, too," said Lily as she took her seat in the stands along with Remus, Peter, Jeanne Howard, Mary and Roger Hathaway. "Should be a fun match, eh?"

"Yep," said Remus, nodding. "So – first time your man's in action, eh?" he added, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"What're you talking about – James has been playing for years now!" she replied, laughing.

"Yes," he said, "But – it's the first time he's _your man_ …"

Peter and the rest laughed, and Lily blushed. She punched Remus lightly on the arm, before deciding to change the subject… "Who's commentating?" she asked, "Dorcas Meadowes graduated last year, didn't she?"

"Top of her class," supplied Roger Hathaway. "It's Lucas Whitby – Ravenclaw, a year behind us."

"Right," she said, "He any good?"

Roger grinned. "I suppose we'll find out," he said brightly, just as a loud, booming voice echoed across the stadium.

"Hello and welcome to the first match of this year's Quidditch Cup – Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" announced Lucas Whitby. "Both teams supply four players to the Hogwarts team, including all of Gryffindor's Chasers – brace yourselves, folks, for this is going to be an absolute goal-fest!"

"Not bad," said Remus.

"Right – here are the Gryffindors, led by the Head Boy, James Potter, with – McKinnon, Huntington, Murphy, Black, Dunbar – and the new Seeker, MacDonald!" boomed Whitby, and Mary clapped and cheered her sister, who made her way to the centre of the pitch behind the rest. "Ooh, she looks nervous," said Roger, "Let's hope she'll be fine as the game goes on…"

"And here's the Slytherin team, led by Captain Bond, along with – Hastings, Pritchard, Rowle, Cahill, Baines, and – Black! An interesting brother-against-brother duel in store now, folks – and as history tells us, they're always feisty!" shouted Whitby enthusiastically.

"Dramatic, isn't he?" mused Lily. The others nodded in agreement.

The Captains shook hands, and Madam Hooch gave a sharp blast of her whistle as the match commenced. "They're off!" screamed Whitby, "Here's Potter – no surprises there, he's dodged a Bludger and passed it to – Huntington, who immediately passes to McKinnon, and McKinnon streaks forward, past Hastings and Selwyn – she passes, and – Potteeeeeerrrrrrrrr! Ten-nil!"

Lily cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors as James celebrated with a punch of the air and overhead claps with Liz and Marlene. "Nice move, that," she said admiringly, "No chance for Slytherin to intercept!"

"I guess Liz and Marlene want to show Madam Hooch what the Hogwarts team is missing," said Remus thoughtfully. "I mean, they _were_ pretty cut up about not starting the first match…"

It didn't take long for Lily to realise that Remus was absolutely right; Liz and Marlene hardly put a foot wrong in the match, scoring with ease while James played the role of interceptor. The score grew steadily in Gryffindor's favour, and frustration seemed to be running high amongst the Slytherins; it culminated with Rowle shooting forward to meet Liz's pass to Marlene and bumping into her like a bulldozer in the process.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindor supporters furiously as Marlene somehow managed to stay on her broom after a cartwheel in the air. "Foul!" echoed Whitby a second later, "Madam Hooch has stopped play and is now having a word with Thorfinn Rowle…"

It looked like Ashley Bond was getting involved now; she was gesticulating animatedly towards Marlene, and the stadium let out a collective gasp as Black shoved Rowle right under Madam Hooch's nose. Pritchard elbowed Black in retaliation, and Black pushed him right back; Lily let out a sigh of relief as Liz quickly stepped in and defused the situation, which was threatening to boil over any second… _Phew, good going_ , Liz, she thought as James exchanged words with Ashley and Rowle; neither of them was looking very happy.

Finally, Madam Hooch blew her whistle twice; a second later, Whitby announced, "And it will be a penalty – to both teams! Gryffindor will go first – here's Potter –"

Lily jumped and whooped enthusiastically as James scored in the right hoop, giving Rowle what looked like a condescending nod in the process… "Potter scores!" shouted Whitby, "Gryffindor lead, one-forty to thirty! Bond simply _has_ to score now…"

At the other end, Ashley took Slytherin's penalty, and –

"SAVED! The Slytherin Captain, the Hogwarts Captain – _denied_ by the new Gryffindor Keeper!" yelled Whitby amid the cheers from the Gryffindor supporters. "Yeah, you go, Murphy!" Peter shouted, hugging Jeanne happily, much to her embarrassment.

The match grew dirtier as it progressed; Ashley Bond seemed to be furious with her penalty miss, and she was now employing tactics that seemed to be rough and desperate. The Slytherin Beater Cahill was called twice for attempting to hit Sean Murphy while the Quaffle was at near the Slytherin end, giving Gryffindor two penalties in the process – James put them away with ease, and the scoreboard grew even more lopsided. "It's two-twenty to sixty now – Gryffindor doing their best to put the game out of Slytherin's reach!" yelled Whitby. "Ooh, look – it's Regulus Black and Nancy MacDonald, both locked neck-to-neck chasing the Snitch –"

Both Gryffindor and Slytherin supporters egged their Seekers on enthusiastically, and Lily cheered appreciatively as Nancy dodged a ferociously-hit Bludger from Cahill; however, Sirius Black met it at the other end and promptly whacked it towards his brother, who lost ground over Nancy as he was forced to do a stupid sort of twirl to dodge it, leaving her path forward clear – a second later, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and Whitby announced, "Gryffindor win, three-seventy to sixty! Their winning streak against Slytherin extends to ten matches!"

The Gryffindor supporters roared jubilantly, and Lily was beside herself with delight, hugging her friends enthusiastically. She looked up just to see James exchange a rather cold handshake with Ashley Bond before ignoring his teammates and flying straight towards – her?

The crowd reduced to insignificance as James stopped in front of Lily, still in mid-air. "Well done!" she exclaimed, but he didn't appear to be listening; instead, he undid his Gryffindor scarf from his neck, and gently draped it around her own, much to her mingled joy and embarrassment… She blushed as she heard laughs, cheers and catcalls from the people around her as James quickly but delicately kissed her on the lips, before winking at her and flying to where his teammates stood. Blushing, she gently felt the scarf around her neck as a slow smile spread across her face. She knew the symbolism behind his action…

 _He's just told the entire school that I've stolen his heart_ , she thought… _But – that's not all… If I could do the same, I would too!_

She sighed in happiness, oblivious to the people around her, her eyes only on the person who had stolen _her_ heart… 

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 **Author's Note:**

I do believe this is the longest chapter in this story. I hope I did justice to Lily and James's first date! In addition, I would like to thank everyone who has been faithfully reading this story right from the start. It's nearly three years that I've been building up to this moment, and now that it's finally happened, I can breathe easier! Please continue to read the story, for I have every intention of taking it to the very end!

This will be my last update for a while, since I am now going on vacation to spend some time with my family. I believe I should be able to post the next chapter in the second half of January next year. Happy holidays to everyone!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	25. Chapter 25

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath and JainRidhi. Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Haha, your suspicions may or may not be addressed in this chapter – read on!

 **JainRidhi:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Hope you like this chapter even more – honestly, it's one of my favourites.

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-five. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

" **I forgive you."**

James spent November in relatively blissful happiness. He was on top of his lessons and the Head Boy duties which he'd surprisingly started to enjoy; the Gryffindor Quidditch team had thrashed their Slytherin counterparts with a margin resounding enough for Madam Hooch to consider Liz and Marlene for first-team selection; and the Order of the Phoenix training with Emily was picking up pace… In addition to the not-so-small matter of him finally going out with the girl of his dreams.

James couldn't believe how _seamlessly_ he and Lily had taken the plunge from being close friends to being in a relationship. Granted, the situation was a little complicated given the fact that they shared living quarters – but Lily had set some boundaries right after they'd gotten together, making it a easier for them both. James always remained respectful of Lily's personal space, only initiating a kiss when he was sure that she wanted it, too, for instance… He didn't want to do anything that could mess things up while their relationship was still in its early stages. He always felt a sense of satisfaction when _she_ kissed him, or when her eyes lingered on him for _just_ a fraction of a second more than usual whenever she waved goodbye to him… It was proof that she liked him _that_ way, too, and he couldn't be happier. He had no questions whatsoever about how _he_ felt about her, though…

He was in love with her. He hadn't said it after they'd gotten together, but knowing how perceptive she was, he was sure that she'd sensed it by now… He was largely comfortable with where they were at in their relationship, but several questions kept nagging him… What if she didn't feel the same way after a few months? What if she never did? What if she realised that getting together with him had been a huge mistake? What if she left him? Would he be able to get over her?

"Valid questions, mate," said Sirius, after James had voiced these concerns to him, Remus and Peter as they sat just outside the kitchens after dinner, munching on some delicious macaroons. "But – I suggest you forget about those and focus on that early-relationship honeymoon phase – where you're unable to keep your hands off each other, like me and Lizzie were." He winked at James, who shook his head as Remus said, "Ugh, too much information, Padfoot." He made a face, and Peter laughed. "Sirius never had any sense of boundaries," he said matter-of-factly, receiving a smack on the head from the latter in retaliation. James and Remus laughed again, resulting in Sirius throwing a macaroon at each of them; that prompted James to Disarm him, and Remus added insult to injury by quickly hitting him with a Tickling Charm.

"But – listen, Prongs," said Remus, as Sirius rolled around on the floor, laughing uncontrollably, "Don't worry so much, mate… I know Lily, and if she hadn't thought this through, she wouldn't have said yes to going out with you. She's not going to leave you –"

James snorted. "Yeah, well," he said, looking on in amusement as Peter suspended a still-laughing Sirius upside-down, "Just look at her dating history, Moony – the German bloke lived hundreds of miles away, and Adam Wright turned out to be a selfish coward –"

"The German bloke doesn't count," said Remus dismissively. "She was too young when they got together, and we've all made mistakes in the past… She's older and more mature now, see? And as for Adam – that's unfair, Prongs. He can do what he wants with his own life –"

"He ran away!" protested James.

"To follow his own dreams!" countered Remus forcefully, shaking Sirius off as the latter grabbed his hand, still laughing while upside-down. "Lily probably didn't see herself in Spain with him – that's why it ended, I think… And _that_ , Prongs, has a lot to do with why she won't leave you, aside from the fact that she obviously has feelings for you."

"Really, how come?" asked James, his heart rising with hope.

"She sees a future with you," said Remus simply. "We know how passionately she feels about fighting the war – being Muggleborn, she has a personal stake in it. And you're going fight as well – that's good enough for her, see? She's willing to take a chance on the fact that your futures are intertwined…"

James mulled over this for a few seconds before his face split into a wide grin. "Thanks, Moony," he said, clapping Remus on the back as Peter finally lifted the Tickling Charm off Sirius, who ceased laughing at once. "Dammit, Pete, let me down, you pestilential piss-drinking penguin!" Sirius hollered at once, prompting the boy in question to let out a loud shout of laughter. "Ooh, language, Padfoot," said Peter mischievously, "For I alone can let you down…"

" _Anyway_ ," said Remus, with a glint of amusement in his eyes as Peter finally let Sirius down, and the latter lay in a heap on the floor, "Don't worry, Prongs – the only way she'll leave you is if you do something really, _really_ stupid."

"That's hardly comforting," said Sirius, dragging himself into a sitting position, "Prongs here has a history of doing stupid stuff –"

"Not helping, Padfoot!" exclaimed Peter; it appeared as if he'd followed the discussion between James and Remus whilst he'd been busy tormenting Sirius. James laughed and said, "Nah, it's fine, you lot… I do feel a lot better, and I won't be mulling over it obsessively at least."

Sirius clapped James on the back. "Good," he said, "'Coz we leave for Durmstrang tomorrow afternoon, and we need our best Chaser completely focused on the match."

"Rest assured," said James confidently, grinning back at his best mate, "For we're going to win this!"

"Yeah – just make sure you and Bond work together," warned Sirius, waggling his index finger. "I'd be daft if I hadn't noticed how cool she's been to you lately – sore loser, isn't she?"

James sighed. "Yeah – looks that way," he conceded. "Y'know, I thought she'd have at least a little bit of maturity! C'mon – so what if they lost to us? Why does she have to act like that during practice?"

He'd been quite annoyed with the Hogwarts Captain's attitude following Slytherin's defeat at the hands of Gryffindor. Once or twice, he'd seen her glowering in the general direction of Sirius, Liz or Marlene – and while he'd asked her if she had a problem, she'd responded in the negative. But – he couldn't shake off the feeling that cracks were appearing in the Hogwarts team; indeed, the Slytherins seemed to be sticking together a lot more than before, barely interacting with the rest. They hardly discussed tactics anymore, too… Madam Hooch gave them an idea of what was expected, and they went about practising it – but there was something missing, and James remembered feeling the same way when Liz and Marlene had been squabbling over Sirius back in their fifth year. There was no teamwork, and as Captain, Ashley Bond didn't seem inclined to remedy that, which annoyed James more than anything else. Wasn't it the Captain's responsibility to make sure that the team worked well together?

"You're right – her attitude is terrible," agreed Sirius.

"Shame," said James, "I was starting to think she wasn't so bad, really… But then again, she _is_ a Slytherin, isn't she?" He shook his head derisively.

"C'mon, Prongs – that's not fair," said Remus patiently. "Look, Slytherin lost a heated match to Gryffindor – plus, Sirius got into a fight with Rowle, and it got unnecessarily intense! _'Course_ she's going to be sore they lost!"

"Yeah, but still – winning and losing is a part of the game, right?" Sirius pointed out. "If you don't like losing, either do better to win, or don't play at all!"

"Hard to argue with that," said James, shrugging. Remus shook his head but said nothing more; James suspected that he was in two minds, but he himself wasn't particularly inclined to talk about the Hogwarts team dynamics right now, especially while doing something as relaxing as eating…

It was late afternoon on Friday when the Hogwarts Quidditch team departed for Durmstrang Institute, along with Dumbledore and Madam Hooch. They departed via three different portkeys, and to James's pleasant surprise, the entire student body came to see the team off. Lily kissed him gently on the cheek as goodbye, and he kissed her forehead before giving her an energetic wave and joining the rest of the team.

"Smooth," said Sirius, sounding faintly amused as half the team clutched an old potions bottle, which would serve as their portkey that day. James stuck his tongue out at his best friend, just as Liz hit Sirius reprovingly on the arm. "Well – you're both good for each other, James," she said warmly. "She's really – happy." She smiled.

"Glad to hear that," said James, doing enough to keep the sudden excitement he was feeling out of his voice. Lily was – _happy?_ Well, that was perfect – so was he!

"Heads up," said Gavin Johnson, who was listening to this exchange with a little smirk, "Portkey leaves in –" he checked his watch, "—three – two – one –"

James felt a sudden jerk below his navel, and they were all speeding along at a fearsome velocity, until they suddenly hit the ground and let go of the potions bottle. He shivered; there was a chill in the air, and it was already quite dark. _I dunno how far up north we are_ , he thought as he helped an unsteady Claire Palmer to her feet… They appeared to be in the middle of a huge meadow, but James noticed the silhouette of a huge castle with four floors only a little distance ahead of them. _Wow_ , he thought in wonder… _These grounds are huge!_

The Hogwarts Quidditch team was welcomed cordially by their hosts, and were served a very traditional British dinner. Durmstrang's Great Hall wasn't as big or grand as theirs, but it had its own mystic charm to it… James and the rest sat together at one of the tables (he noted that Durmstrang had five Houses), making small talk with the Durmstrang students as they ate; thanks to one rather talkative girl, he learned that the school mainly accepted young witches and wizards from Scandinavia, Russia and the Balkan peninsula, though students of all European nationalities were welcome to enrol. He also learned that the weather had been quite unpredictable lately, and that there was a chance of snow the next day… _Just our luck_ , he thought, a little apprehensively. _We've never played during snow before…_

Just after dinner, Professor Haraldsson announced for the Durmstrang Head Students to take the Hogwarts team to their living quarters, which turned out to be a spacious dormitory on the ground floor, complete with separate chambers for girls and boys. However, before going to bed, Ashley Bond called the team together and said, "All right… This is our first away match, you lot. It's probably going to be the toughest match anyone of you has ever played – the forecast for tomorrow is snow, which means that we'll be at a disadvantage, since it's fair to assume that the Durmstrang team is used to playing in adverse conditions." She paused. "Anyway – I had a word with Madam Hooch, and we're going to start with the same team as the last match."

James drew in a sharp breath; if he was being brutally honest, Liz and Marlene had played better than Ashley in the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match – so, didn't _they_ deserve to be in tomorrow's line-up? He opened his mouth to ask the same question, but Ashley interrupted, saying, "I know what you're going to say, Potter… But there can only be room for seven people in this team, and while we've got fourteen of our school's best players here, the seven best players should start."

"I couldn't agree more," said James, and Ashley raised her eyebrows. "But – think about it," continued James, struggling to keep his tone even, "You know as well as I do that Marlene and Liz played better than you during our Hogwarts Quidditch Cup match against you. And – they've been playing better than you throughout practice for the past few weeks, too."

He didn't know what made him say it. Perhaps it was the disappointment of being wrong after being _so_ sure that at least one of Liz or Marlene would start tomorrow; perhaps it was his suppressed fury with Ashley's attitude throughout team practices over the past month… All he knew that he was done holding back. Bitter truths had to be spoken… "Well?" he added inquiringly, "Don't you think they've both been better than you?"

"It doesn't matter," said Ashley softly, but with an undercurrent of menace in her voice. "You see, Potter, I am the Captain of this team –"

"Oh, really?" James countered. "Is that so?"

"James," said Liz, but James held up a hand to silence her. "You're the Captain of a fractured team, Bond," he said flatly. "Our last few practice sessions have been an absolute joke… Did you even feature in a single discussion on tactics? Did you even exchange a few words with any member of this team who isn't a Slytherin? Go on, tell me – did you?"

The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Ashley stared at James for a full ten seconds before saying, "Don't tell me how to do my job, Potter." Her voice was soft, but it made the hair on the back of James's neck stand up. "Well – it appears as if I need to," he said, bristling slightly, "'Coz you're doing a poor job of it."

A few people collectively gasped, and Rowle yelled, "Shut up, Potter!" He actually went for his wand, but Ashley quelled him with a glare. "Back off, Rowle," she said roughly, and the huge blond Slytherin narrowed his eyes at her but obeyed. Turning back to James, Ashley said, "Well – you've got _some nerve_ thinking you can do a better job than me as Captain, Potter… Need I remind you who won the Quidditch Cup last year? Who led their team to victory, only in their second year as a team member? You may be an excellent Chaser, Potter, but your leadership qualities need improvement – that's probably why you weren't made Captain." She smirked slightly.

That little smirk did it; James stood up suddenly. Blood was pounding through his ears… It was bad enough that she'd brought up Gryffindor's heartbreaking Quidditch Cup loss last year, but to call him a poor Captain? _Too far_ , he thought furiously… _Too far!_

Liz grabbed his arm, and he tried to shake her off. "No, James – control yourself," she said calmly, trying to make him sit down. "That's enough –"

"I'm a better Captain than _you!_ " James shouted at Ashley. "At least I have the guts to make sure that my team plays like a team, even if we may not win every game – unlike you, _Captain!_ " He put undue emphasis on the last word as he glared at her.

The smirk wiped off Ashley's face at once, only to be replaced with a scorching glare of her own. "Fine!" she exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "Think you can do a better job than me, Potter? Well – here's your chance…" She removed the Captain's armband from her pocket and flung it at him. "You can Captain the team tomorrow – but if I'm such a terrible Chaser, I won't be playing! Let's see what _you_ can do!"

There was a tense, billowing silence, following which James picked up the armband and put it around his elbow. "All right, then," he said shortly, "I'll show you how a _real_ Captain does things – even if we lose tomorrow, we'll lose playing like a team!"

Ashley laughed derisively and stormed off towards the girls' chamber. There was another silence, following which Rowle stood up. "I'm not playing under you," he spat at James, who snorted. "Doesn't matter – Claire's better than you anyway, so you're best off warming the bench," he snapped back, and Rowle merely made a rude hand gesture at him before making his way the boys' chamber.

"I'll be on the bench too," said Brenda Hastings, also standing up. "I'm sorry, Potter – but you acted in a manner that was, frankly, _deplorable_ – and quite unsuitable for a team Vice-Captain." She got up and walked off into the girls' chamber, right behind her best friend.

James narrowed his eyes at Regulus, the only Slytherin remaining in the room. Before he could say anything, however, the younger Black said, "I'm out, too – you can do whatever you like, Potter." He got up and exited the room as well, to no one's surprise…

Seething, James snapped, "Does anyone else want to bench themselves?"

Nobody said anything, and James took a deep, calming breath. "Fine," he said. "Robins, you're in," he added to the Hufflepuff Seeker, who nodded at him excitedly; but there was a more important choice on James's mind as his eyes rested on Liz and Marlene… How could he choose between them? They both had the flair, the stamina, the skill… Finally, he made his decision. "Liz," he said, "You're in, too. I'm sorry, Marlene –"

"Hey, that's all right," interrupted Marlene, giving him a shaky sort of smile. "I know Liz has been doing better than me at practice… Doesn't take a genius to figure out why you're in, Liz," she added to the blonde, who gave her shoulder a tight, reassuring squeeze.

"Right," said James, relieved that he wasn't going to see a repeat of their fifth year, "I'll inform Madam Hooch tomorrow." He paused, then added, "Goodnight, everyone, sleep well – 'coz tomorrow's going to be a tough day!"

"Nice going," whispered Sirius as he walked alongside James into the boys' chamber, "For the record, Prongs, I support you wholeheartedly – her attitude was getting on _my_ nerves, too."

"I know, right?" James whispered back. "I mean, benching herself is rather dramatic – plus, it was quite selfish of her, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, should I? She's a Slytherin, after all – and that lot only looks out for themselves!" He didn't care that Rowle and Regulus could probably hear him… Serve them right, he thought savagely.

"True," said Sirius. "Well – 'Night, Prongs…"

"'Night," said James, and settled into bed. He remained awake for a long time, however… He was feeling a little guilty at the way things had boiled over with Ashley Bond. Granted, the things he'd said weren't false – but he supposed that he could've gone about it a little better… Still, now that he had an opportunity to lead the Hogwarts team, he wasn't going to waste it; for it would be a win, and only a win, that would satisfy James Potter and prove to the rest of the world what a good leader he was…

It was a windy morning as James and the rest of the Hogwarts team went down to breakfast. James spoke little, still annoyed with Ashley's conduct the night before; she, in turn, ignored him completely and sat with Brenda and the other Slytherins. He couldn't help but notice that her eyes appeared to be rather red, but he wasn't in the mood to apologise or offer any words of sympathy… Nay, he had an important task on his hands, and that was to guide his team to victory.

James had a word with Madam Hooch before stepping out of the Durmstrang Great Hall with the rest of his team. The Flying teacher was shocked with what had transpired, but she gave James the go-ahead, albeit with a pronouncement that she would be having a word with him and Ashley after the match. He wasn't looking forward to that, but perhaps Madam Hooch's anger would be mitigated if they won today…

An hour later, James was standing with the other six players who would be starting. "Right," he said, "I know that some things happened last night that were – regrettable. I apologise for my conduct – but right now, we have a match to win." His eyes went to Liz and Gavin, who gave him a reassuring nod. "C'mon, let's do this!" he exclaimed, and the team screamed in unison, "Go Whites!"

A few minutes later, James was shaking hands with the Durmstrang Captain, Dusan Popov. "Good luck," he said, and Popov echoed him. A quick glance at the Durmstrang team showed him that they were wearing robes of chequered red-and-yellow, that there were only two girls, and that all the boys were more than six feet tall, broad-chested and well-built. _This is going to be a tough match_ , he thought… He scoured the crowd to find any sign of Lily, but the snow made visibility poor. _Ah, well – she'll be here_ , he thought, reassuring himself…

The referee blew his whistle, and the match commenced. James immediately made for the Quaffle, but one of the Durmstrang Chasers managed to get there first; she passed it to Popov, who streaked forward, dodging both Bludgers and Gavin's attempt to snatch the Quaffle from him, until –

The huge cheers from the home support confirmed that Popov had scored. James shook his head; he had to think of something quickly, for the ease with which Durmstrang had scored foreshadowed that they were in danger of being flattened…

His fears were coming true; indeed, Durmstrang seemed to be having the better of scoring opportunities, which remained few for Hogwarts. However, Gavin valiantly kept them in the match, making key interceptions – he and Liz warmed up to each other's styles within a few minutes, and Hogwarts began to gain a foothold in the match. Visibility was horrible, and James couldn't hear much more than the cheers of the fans and supporters every time someone scored, but he concentrated on the job at hand; by the time Durmstrang called a time-out after conceding three goals in quick succession, Hogwarts were trailing by only ten points.

"What's the score?" Sirius asked once they were on the ground.

"They're leading – one-twenty to one-ten," supplied Liz. "Good job on the last save, Claire – I'm glad we have you, you're keeping us in the match!"

"Thanks," said Claire, "But you three need to step it up." She looked at James and Gavin. "I dunno how long we have before the Snitch is caught – they're obviously more used to playing in the snow, so their Seeker has an advantage over Gary," she continued. "So, Gary – catch the Snitch as soon as you can, OK?"

"I'm on it," said Gary Robins with a reassuring nod.

"Right," said James, "A slight change in tactics – Gavin, play higher up the pitch than where you're at, so that you can win the ball closer to their goal and increase our chances of scoring. Sirius, Hestia – keep doing what you're doing, you're doing great. Robins, we need an early capture of the Snitch – like Claire said. And Claire, you've pulled off some good saves – but have you noticed that while shooting, Popov always sways to the side opposite to where he shoots?"

"How d'you think I saved his last three shots on goal?" responded Claire, grinning. James clapped her on the back appreciatively and said, "That a girl – now, everyone ready?"

"Yes," said everyone in unison, and kicked off from the ground after the referee blew his whistle.

The Hogwarts team's new tactics seemed to be working, and they were slowly but surely pushing the home team onto the back foot. Gavin played like a man possessed; he intercepted every pass he could, and finally, Hogwarts had a narrow lead. However, James knew that they weren't out of the woods yet, especially since a lot depended on Gary Robins…

"Look out, Gavin!" Liz yelled, and James turned around just in time to see Gavin fall to the ground after taking a Bludger in the head. He whipped out his wand, but the referee was faster; Gavin didn't even hit the ground, but remained suspended in mid-air about two feet above… James called a time-out and the rest of the team quickly went to check on him. He'd been knocked out, and mediwizards stretchered him off to appreciative applause from the crowd. _I hope he'll be all right_ , thought James tensely as beckoned to Marlene; she gave him a purposeful nod before mounting her broom. A few seconds later, the game restarted…

Now in familiar territory, the three Hogwarts Chasers played the way they always had – scoring with merciless, ruthless efficiency. Sirius and Hestia Jones kept their opponents at bay, and the Whites' lead grew steadily… However, just as James was beginning to relax thanks to a hundred-point lead, the referee blew his whistle – a second later, the home fans erupted in ecstasy. _No!_ he thought in dismay as the commentator made the announcement in English, "Durmstrang Institute defeat Hogwarts – by three-hundred-and-thirty points to two-hundred-and-eighty!"

James despondently descended to the ground, followed by the rest of his team. They all shared a massive team hug, and James said, "Well, we lost – but we played some unbelievable Quidditch today. We should all be proud of what we've achieved – _despite_ the stuff that happened last night. When this lot comes to Britain – we'll show 'em."

"Hear, hear," said Sirius, and that brought smiles out of the rest of the team. James felt heartened; he may not have won his first match in charge, but he'd surely done one hell of a job as Captain, playing in difficult conditions _and_ with an injury to a key player… _In your face_ , Bond, he thought disdainfully. _Who's a poor Captain now?_

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The fallout from James's quarrel with Ashley Bond resulted in Madam Hooch calling them into her office once everyone had returned to Hogwarts, and giving them both a stern lecture about teamwork, sportsmanship and respect. James and Ashley both listened in silence, and expressed regret about what had happened; however, after the meeting, Ashley promptly ignored James again as she stalked off, leaving him furious… _Well, if she doesn't want to work out our differences, she can sod off_ , he thought as he made his way back to the HQ. _He_ wasn't going to spend another minute trying to talk to her…

The snow and sleet battering the castle increased as November transitioned into December. James's workload grew a lot more as the holidays approached, but at least Quidditch practices were on hold… The more important thing on everyone's mind seemed to be job applications, since positions at the Ministry of Magic would open in January, meaning that one had to get the necessary preparations in order before applying. James wasn't concerned about this, however; while he knew that he'd be well-off even without a job, becoming a full-time Order of the Phoenix soldier was the only future he could see…

"So – Mum and Dad invited you to stay over New Year's at our house," he said as he and Lily headed for Emily's final lesson before the holidays. Slughorn's Christmas party was scheduled for the next day, which was the last day of lessons that term. They'd covered a lot of ground in their Order training over the past few months; aside from learning various Energy-replenishing Spells and Spells that enhanced battling abilities, Emily had also taught them a technique to _sense_ magic. James had been heartened to find out how well he was connecting with his magical core, since to sense magic used by others, one had to gain a certain level of control over their _own_ magic… "We're hosting a New Year's party, see? Every one of our friends is invited – but you're the one my parents are keen on wanting to stay for at least a day more – they want to get to know you, see?" he added, grinning.

"Er – all right," said Lily, though she sounded a little tentative. "Which reminds me – my parents have invited you over for dinner at our house on Christmas Day, too – can't believe I forgot to mention that!" She slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh, no – I'm so sorry, you would have plans with your family –"

"Hey, relax," he said reassuringly, laughing as he stroked her hair. "Don't worry about it – I didn't have any plans as such, so I'd love to be at your house for a Christmas dinner!" He and his parents usually enjoyed a quiet Christmas dinner every year – but that year, he was sure he could talk his way out of that particular tradition. He smiled at the relief on Lily's face.

"Really?" she asked, and he nodded. "Yes," he said emphatically, "Yes, I'd love to…"

"Thanks," said Lily sincerely. "And I'd love to stay at your house over New Year's, too – I just have to let my parents know, but I'll be there." A slow smile spread across her face, and James planted a quick kiss on her cheek just as they entered their usual training classroom. He felt a swoop of anger as he spotted Ashley Bond; she was talking to Gavin (who had suffered no long-term effects of his injury) and Brenda Hastings, looking cheerful… _I wonder what_ you're _happy about_ , he thought scathingly. _After all, you deserted the team when they needed you…_

"Just _talk_ to her," Lily pressed from next to him, "I'm sure it'll be OK – you're on the same team, after all –"

"She's the Captain – it's her responsibility," said James, shaking his head. He'd returned the armband to Ashley immediately after their meeting with Madam Hooch, but neither of them had spoken a single word to each other since.

"C'mon, James – don't be stubborn," said Lily patiently. "In her mind, you probably led a mutiny against her, and you need to at least clear that up with her –"

" _Mutiny?_ " mimicked James incredulously. "C'mon, Lil – she gave me the armband herself! I didn't ask for it!"

"Nevertheless – you Captained the team in her absence, and you questioned her team selection –"

"That's what a good Vice-Captain does," countered James. "Look – drop it, all right?" he added as she opened her mouth to argue, and Emily's arrival put their discussion on hold. "Right, everyone – this will be our last lesson before Christmas, so I'm not going to teach you anything new," said Emily without preamble. "So – today, we'll be revising everything I've taught you so far. Let us begin…"

They spent an hour going over all the Spells they'd learnt one by one, and by the end of their lesson, James was feeling quite confident in his expertise over what he'd learnt. Three months on, he'd grudgingly admitted to himself that while Emily had done terrible things in the past, her teaching abilities were largely intact, and she had the uncanny knack of getting the best out of her students, regardless of their skill level. He was still deeply mistrustful of her, though – but he remained civil to her, since she was helping them all…

As the lesson ended, everyone began to leave, with a few people wishing James 'Happy Christmas'. He waited for Lily to join him, but just as she did, Emily called, "James, Lily – a word, please." Nonplussed, James glanced at Lily, whose face mirrored his confusion. They indicated to their friends to go ahead, and soon enough, it was just the two of in the room with their teacher. With a wave of her wand, Emily quickly conjured three chairs out of thin air, and invited them to sit down. Another wave of her wand, and the classroom door was shut.

"So – how do you think your lessons are coming along?" asked Emily, looking from Lily to James.

"Quite good," James replied, confused; she could've asked him in front of the others, couldn't she? Why did she want to ask him this question in private? He felt the familiar ripple of anger and wariness as he looked at the blonde witch; how _could_ Dumbledore think she was trustworthy – after what she'd done? Well, Dumbledore may have been fooled (though admittedly the chances of that were remote) – but he, James, wasn't… "I guess it's just luck," he added tersely, "That I _remember_ how good a teacher you were back in our third year."

He felt only a little twinge of regret at the momentary hurt that appeared in Emily's doe-soft brown eyes. He wasn't mean to anyone on purpose – but practitioners of Dark Magic brought out the worst in him; he despised the Dark Arts like poison. He felt Lily's hand on his own – she gave his hand a little squeeze, every time she did when she was trying to calm him down. He gave her a fond glance; he liked the way she could tell when he was upset.

Emily sighed. "I see you haven't forgiven me yet," she said, and James snorted. "I don't know if I ever can," he said bluntly. Following a pause, he added, "Look, I understand why you did it, OK? But you helped attack other students – as a teacher, you're supposed to protect them. You failed in your duty."

"It was a mistake," said Emily calmly. "I know it was – but I didn't have a choice. And especially after you return from that sort of trauma – you do things that you normally wouldn't. I'm not making excuses," she added quickly, "I already know it was wrong, what I did. But no one died – and thanks to you both, my son – he came back to me." Her voice was tender, and her expression was content.

Lily, who had been sitting silently all this time, now spoke up. "I think she deserves a second chance, James," she said, and he looked at her incredulously. She held up both her hands. "Hear me out," she insisted, and James shrank back and nodded, indicating for her to continue.

"Well," Lily began, "I too tried hard to apply some logic to Emily's actions." She gave Emily a sideways glance. "I'd started to see you as a – a mixture of an elder cousin, or a young Aunt," she said, "Someone who understood me, who was patient, sympathetic and kind. I regarded you as – someone with whom I could share whatever was bothering me… Someone whose advice I could count on… Which is why, when you pointed your wand at me – in the Forest, all those years ago, I was shattered."

Emily bowed her head, and it was James's turn to squeeze Lily's hand now. She gave him a faint smile.

"But then – as I grew older, I began to understand," she continued. "You'd dealt with the loss of your husband – you didn't want to lose your son, too. Obviously, you were willing to do whatever it took – to even dance to the Death Eaters' tune, if you had to. It ensured his safety, didn't it?"

Emily nodded, her head slightly bowed.

"So, you did what you had to do," Lily said, her voice shaking slightly with emotion. "The war – it forces us to make hard choices… And naturally, you chose your son's life over a few hours of discomfort to a few unknown students – but if no one died and your son was safe, it would've been OK, right?"

Emily nodded again. She seemed to be letting Lily talk, choosing to listen in silence.

"How is that _OK?_ " James interrupted, bristling. "They were innocent!"

"I know," said Lily softly. "But so was her son…"

James sucked in a low breath. He'd never considered _this_ angle… Her son didn't deserve to suffer any more than the attacked students. He suddenly understood why there had been no choice for Emily…

"To give you an analogy, James," continued Lily, gazing at him steadily, "If you'd been the one in the clutches of Death Eaters and I'd been the one being blackmailed – well, let's just say that it's a choice I wish I never have to make."

James gaped at her, astonished. They'd only been dating for a little more than a month, and yet – he knew that he was in love with her. To be fair, he'd been in love with her for a long time – ironically, he'd realised that she meant a lot to him when she'd gripped his hand tightly all those years ago, right before Emily had been about to wipe their memories. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lily…

He'd had his doubts on how she felt about him. He'd even wondered if she'd drop him after one or two dates, but he'd started to relax after he'd seen clear signs of her happiness when she was around him, and his talk with his mates had helped, too. But now – that last statement of hers, it heartened him. Here was proof, clear proof, that she cared about him immensely…

"I understand," he said. It was true, he really did – if it was Lily who had been captured, he'd go at any length to ensure that she remained alive and safe. Sure, he'd conduct his investigation into where she could be – but until she was safely back in his arms, he'd be reduced to doing the Death Eaters' bidding. Just the thought of her being away from him hurt him so much – such was the intensity of his feelings for her.

"That's why – I forgive you, Emily," Lily said softly addressing Emily directly. "You deserve a second chance…"

Emily looked up at her, smiling. "It's more than I deserve, Lily – thank you. I shall never break your trust again." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

James knew what he had to do. "Er, Emily," he began awkwardly, fixing his gaze on their former DADA professor, who looked back at him, unblinking. "Er – I understand, too – and I forgive you," he said, with an effort. It went against _everything_ he stood for – honour, chivalry, righteousness – but it was the right thing to do. He glanced at Lily, who nodded encouragingly. "I also trust you," he added to Emily, and Lily gave him an approving smile, which immediately made his heart feel lighter.

"Thank you, James," whispered Emily, and a single tear rolled down her cheeks. James nodded at her as she continued, "Wow, you must think I'm such a softie – getting all sappy." Her voice was husky as she wiped her cheek with her red-and-gold Gryffindor scarf.

"Er – so, coming here to teach, is this your way of redeeming yourself?" James asked her hastily, wanting to gloss over the emotional moment. Emily nodded.

"That's one of the reasons, yes," she said, fixing him with an intense gaze.

"What're the others?" Lily asked her curiously. Emily smiled.

"Always curious, aren't you? I'm glad that hasn't changed," she said, and Lily blushed a little. James grinned and said, "Yup – she's always been like that. It's amazing how many questions she asks – her thirst to learn new things is almost as insatiable as Peter's appetite!" Emily grinned as Lily punched him lightly on the arm, and he mock-punched her back, laughing.

"Well – I did travel the world, and I learnt some ancient magic from Japan, India, Brazil, and Australia, obviously… I plan on teaching it to you very soon, once you're back!" said Emily, her voice enthusiastic. She paused, then added, "And – because you're willing to give me a second chance – I suppose you've earned the right to learn my other reason, too." They watched in confusion as Emily removed the Gryffindor scarf from her neck, and James gasped – he couldn't help it.

Emily's neck was as black as midnight on a moonless night. It also looked patchy, like it had been burned. And that wasn't all – her face was blackening, too. Her blonde hair was becoming shorter, greyer and wispier… Her lips, rose-red only a second ago, were now bluish. Her face looked burnt and wrinkled. The only thing that remained unchanged were her doe-soft brown eyes, eyes that were staring at them with a mixture of grief, anguish and misery – with a hint of resignation.

Shocked beyond measure, James stole a quick glance at Lily. Her emerald eyes were wide, and her mouth gaping… She couldn't believe what she was seeing, either. "Er – Emily – what the –?" she sputtered, clearly beyond words.

" _This_ is what I really look like," said Emily, her voice raspy and rough – not at all mellifluous like it was only a minute ago. "It's the Curse in my ankle… The St Mungo's Healers were able to contain it, but there was one detail I didn't share with anyone else. You see – that containment was temporary." She nodded sadly at their shocked faces. "The Curse spread to the rest of my body – first my limbs, then my chest, back and stomach – then the neck, and finally, the face. Ever wondered why my face and my hands are the only bits of skin I expose to the world?" Her gaze went from James to Lily, who looked near tears. James quickly gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before facing Emily once again. "Can't it be cured at all?" he whispered, still unable to believe how much Emily's condition had deteriorated. "Isn't there any treatment?"

Emily shook her head sadly. "'Fraid not," she said heavily, "I'm terminal. The Healers in Australia said I had about a year to live back in July – give or take a month. Come the end of this school year – I'll be gone…"

There was a sudden movement as Lily stood up and embraced Emily. Her body shook with sobs, and tears rolled down Emily's blackened cheeks as she clutched Lily, too. Shaken, James hurried forward – he gave Emily's shoulder a tight, reassuring squeeze before rubbing Lily's back comfortingly. He knew that she was sensitive – she was able to stay strong most of the time, and only let her emotions get the better of her occasionally – _except her temper_ , he thought wryly. But it was this empathy of hers that he admired and adored… Selfless up to a hilt, she could sacrifice her own needs for others in the blink of an eye. It was one of the reasons he was _so_ in love with her…

Finally, Lily drew back, and collapsed into her chair, distraught. James raised his wand, and non-verbally Vanished his chair. A second wave of his wand, and Lily's chair transformed into a wide two-seater sofa. Satisfied, he sat down next to her, and put his arm around her comfortingly. She rested her head on his chest, sniffing as he held her tightly, comfortingly – until she was able to regain her composure at last.

"Why didn't you tell us?" she asked Emily, somewhat pleadingly. " _Why?_ "

"Because – I came here seeking redemption, among other things," replied Emily, holding Lily's gaze. "I wanted your forgiveness – _without_ the influence of my condition. I didn't want to guilt you into thinking that you should forgive me – _just_ because I'm dying…"

James could sort of understand what she was saying… Of course, had she shown them her true state before she'd asked for their forgiveness, it would've been very hard to not forgive her out of sympathy. He understood her need to make them understand…

Emily draped her scarf around her neck once again. She closed her eyes, and a second later, her appearance was back to normal. Her beautiful face was unblemished, her hair was back to being blonde and elbow-length, and her lips were rose-red once again. She opened her eyes and answered the unasked question. "It's a complex bit of Human Transfiguration – all I have to do is remember how I used to look before I was Cursed. But it's a cumbersome Spell – wears off after about a day, and the more parts of my body I apply it too, the more exhausting it is. That's why, I settled for the face… And my hands, obviously – I'd look stupid wearing gloves while eating, wouldn't I?"

She smiled sadly as Lily gave a wet chuckle, her cheeks still tear-stained. James pulled her closer to himself. "What other effects do you feel?" he asked Emily, unsure if he wanted to know…

Emily grimaced. "I have to take a potion – it helps with the pain. I'm probably in danger of being addicted to it, but at this point, I don't care – my fate is pretty much sealed." James nodded solemnly, unable to decide which was worse – the things she was saying, or the resigned, matter-of-fact way in which she was saying them. Emily continued, "Plus, my reflexes aren't as good as they used to be – but they're good enough. And while my body is damaged beyond repair, my brain isn't… So, the best way to use that is to teach others what I can do so that I can die in peace, knowing that I made a difference," she added with conviction.

"But – what about your son?" Lily asked her worriedly. Emily took a deep breath. "Martha – my mother-in-law, she'll take care of him," she said heavily. "She was the one taking care of him after David's death – and my abduction. But they got to her – Nick was kidnapped, and she was Imperiused to go along with her daily activities and not warn anyone. When Nick was returned to me, I immediately reached out to her – she was so glad that we were both safe. I'm glad she's accepted me as family." She sighed, relieved. "She'd been cold to me at first, see? She'd even been against David and I being together, back when we were both in school. But David – he was headstrong – and so long as he was there with me, I didn't care if his Mum didn't approve," she added fondly. "After I was reunited with Nick and Martha, I proposed we go to Australia – away from this war that had brought us much ruin. I'd saved some money as an Auror, and the Walcotts were well-off, too… Martha agreed. And so – we moved, to start our new life across the sea."

She drew in another deep breath. "I found a job teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Uluru Academy – that's Australia's Wizarding school," she supplied. "Martha took care of Nick when I wasn't around – she's been wonderful, really. She's treated me like her own daughter these past few years – I had a great time in Australia, doing what I love, staying with the people I loved…" She closed her eyes wistfully. "Around Christmas last year, that was when I started to feel the effects of the Curse – again. I'd always known that it was a temporary containment, but I'd never expected my condition to worsen so soon… We tried several treatments, but nothing worked – and in the end, this July, I was told that I only had a year to live."

James squeezed Lily's shoulder as her eyes swam with tears again. He himself felt devastated – with all her faults, Emily was still a competent teacher, an asset to their cause. And to think she would die soon… It was unbearable.

"Is this why you wear the scarf?" he asked her, not wanting to spend more time on the sad secret that had just been revealed to them than absolutely necessary. "To cover your neck?"

Emily gave him a thin smile. "I don't expect you to understand, James… But Lily will." She faced Lily. "A woman's vanity, isn't it, Lily?"

Lily gave a wet chuckle. "For sure," she said, somehow managing to smile through her tears.

"That's one of the reasons, anyway," said Emily, returning Lily's smile.

"Er – do we want to know the other reason?" James asked. He didn't want to sound rude, but he was thoroughly shaken by Emily's revelation.

"That depends," said Emily, suddenly smirking. "Tell me something, James… The Slytherins that we have in the Order – Ashley Bond, Brenda Hastings, Felicity Osbourne –"

"What about them?" interrupted James tersely.

Emily's smirk grew wider. "D'you trust them?" she asked.

Caught off-guard, James looked at Lily for support. Their differences of opinion aside, he didn't think that Ashley Bond was a bad person in general – but he couldn't say that he trusted her. As for the others, he barely knew them – but Lily had vouched for them all, and he trusted Lily's judgement. "Lily trusts them, and I trust Lily," he said, not answering the question directly.

"I asked if you trust them," Emily repeated, clearly enjoying herself.

James considered… _Did_ he trust them? _No_ , said a small voice at the back of his mind. _Didn't you voice out your concerns to Lily about including Slytherins to fight against Voldemort? They're Slytherins, after all… Anything could happen. Didn't you resolve to keep a close watch on them if they did end up being recruited?_

He slowly shook his head. "I guess not," he said, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily shaking her head slowly. "I mean – I trust Lily's judgement," he repeated defensively.

"And why don't _you_ trust them?" Emily probed.

"Er – because they're Slytherins," replied James bluntly, deciding to go with the truth. "I don't trust Slytherins as a rule – they're cunning and ruthless, and much more likely to join Voldemort's cause… Plus they're bigoted and prejudiced against Muggleborns…"

"Let me put it this way," said Emily, "If there were four strangers in front of you, one from each of the four Houses – which one would you be least likely to trust?

James thought for a moment before saying unwillingly, "Er – the Slytherin, I suppose." He tried to ignore Lily's annoyed gaze; they'd had this disagreement before, where she prompted him to trust the person and overlook the House, and he rebutted with the sheer number of Slytherins who joined Voldemort every year…

"So – doesn't that make _you_ prejudiced against _them?_ " Emily asked, her smirk at its widest.

"Yes, all right?" said James, with a little touch of irritation. "I'm prejudiced against the dirty House of Salazar Slytherin, and I don't trust anyone who belongs to it – is _that_ what you wanted to hear?"

"Something like that," said Emily mischievously. "Then I'd have to call you a hypocrite – considering you just said that you trust me."

Realization dawned on James. "You – _you_ were in Slytherin?" he asked her incredulously, and beside him, Lily was gazing at Emily in astonishment too, clearly lost for words.

"Yep," said Emily, giving them a little wink. "I'm a Slytherin through-and-through… Ever wondered what my maiden name was?"

James and Lily shook their heads, still disbelieving.

"Parkinson," said Emily with a small smile, "Before I became Emily Walcott, I was Emily Parkinson…"

James simply gaped at her. To his knowledge, the Parkinsons were a rich old family – with generations of pureblood witches and wizards. They weren't explicitly supporting Voldemort, but he'd heard rumours of them providing the Death Eaters with mounds of gold… "So – why do you wear a _Gryffindor_ scarf?" he asked her, wrinkling his forehead.

"I think I know why," said Lily softly, much to his surprise.

"Go ahead and guess, then!" Emily said, grinning.

"Er – it used to belong to your husband, didn't it?" said Lily tentatively, but her voice held an edge of firmness. James realised that she was sure of her guess, and unsure of how Emily would respond…

"That's right – excellent," said Emily briskly. "Mind works the right way, Lily… There's a story behind this scarf, but I wouldn't want to bore you…"

"Oh, no – we won't be bored, we're interested!" exclaimed Lily hastily, and James nodded in agreement. He was curious, too…

"Very well, then," said Emily. "You see – before I came to Hogwarts, I was taught several bigoted pureblood values – the most fundamental one of which was that being a pureblood means you're practically royalty, and everyone else who could do magic – half-bloods, blood traitors and Muggleborns – was beneath us." She rolled her eyes. "When I came to Hogwarts, these values were reinforced by my company – my fellow Housemates, that is. But as I grew older – I began to realise that there was no difference between purebloods and the others in terms of magical ability. I was a shy and quiet girl, somewhat introverted – oh, you may not believe that now, but that's how I used to be," she added, grinning at James and Lily's astonished faces. "I preferred to put my head down, and concentrate on my work, see? I even managed to top the year a couple times, though I was a total mess at Herbology; but then, my best friend at the time usually let me copy her homework when I was stuck…" She winked at Lily, who laughed.

Emily continued, "However, by the time I was sixteen, and a Prefect – I'd started to question the views of purebloods. I couldn't understand why the others were considered second-class – so, one fine day, when I came across three Slytherin fifth-years bullying a little Gryffindor second-year, I whipped out my wand and sent them away – but not before giving them detention and deducting a few points from Slytherin. I even dropped the little boy off to his common room, and he kept thanking me profusely all the time, saying that he couldn't believe how _nice_ I was being to him – _despite_ being in Slytherin. I was shocked, really – of course, there was a rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, though not as much bad blood as there is now, thanks to Voldemort –" she grimaced, "—but we'd always made fun of them for being too gallant and reckless –" they returned her mischievous grin, "—so it came as a rude shock that even second-year Gryffindors thought of us Slytherins as mean and cold. I brooded over it for a few hours – but eventually put it out of my mind.

"Then – the next day, after our weekly Prefect meeting, David Walcott came up to me. He'd heard about the incident the day before, and he wanted to thank me in person. Oh, David was your typical heartthrob – _so_ handsome," Emily added, her expression dreamy, "Half the girls in the school were head-over-heels in love with him – so, when he thanked me, I felt heartened that the most handsome boy in the school was speaking to me – of his own accord. Oh, and I failed to mention one thing – I had a crush on him, too."

James smiled a little. "Did you tell him – then?" he asked.

Emily shook her head. "Nah – imagine what my friends would've said!" she said feelingly. "And anyway, he was dating someone else at the time, so we formed a tentative sort of friendship and wrote to each other over the Christmas holidays. It was becoming harder for me to continue staying just friends with him, though, given my feelings – but I stuck it out. I'd rather be his friend than, you know – not.

"Then – near the end of our sixth year, he broke up with his girlfriend. He was quite cut up about it, and he poured his heart out in a letter to me. I could see that he wasn't doing so well, so I immediately Apparated to his house. Oh, yes – it was out of character for me, being the quiet, unassuming kind – but at that moment I knew that I cared about him deeply, and I wanted to make sure that he was OK," Emily said, blushing. She ploughed on quickly, "His Dad was home – that was when I found out that his Dad was a Muggle. I asked to see Dave, and Mr Walcott first regarded me with suspicion – then, satisfied that I wasn't the one who had broken his son's heart, his demeanour became much kinder. He said he hoped I'd talk some sense into Dave, who was apparently not eating and sleeping well.

"That was that. I went to Dave's room, and sat next to him. He was surprised to see me there – but the surprise soon gave way to tears. Oh, Dave was a fiery character – fiercely loyal, passionate and someone who loved deeply. He was devastated after finding out that his girlfriend was two-timing him, but he was abhorrent of showing weakness, so he handled it as gracefully as he could… It was only when he was in the company of select people that he showed his actual state of mind, and I realised that I was on this tiny list as he cried over my shoulder that day and I comforted him."

An affectionate smile came over Emily's face. "Well – he became better after that. I saw him every day, though we were careful to hide our meetings from my parents and his Mum, who I was sure wouldn't approve. By and by, one thing led to another – and eventually, I confessed my feelings to him." She blushed. "I even told him how difficult it was to be _just_ friends with him, but I was trying, and that I hoped we could still be friends. I was _so_ afraid in that moment – I felt sure he was going to be all awkward, see? But… His response was to kiss me – then and there." Her blush deepened, but her grin grew wider nonetheless.

"That was brave of him," said James, smiling.

"Yep," said Emily, nodding firmly. "A Gryffindor after all, wasn't he? He said he'd come to like me, too – that I was different, nothing like the stereotypical Slytherin. He was glad he'd gotten to know me, see? Anyway, we kept our romance a secret as our seventh year began – that was my idea, because I didn't want to ruffle any feathers. I became Head Girl, and I was quite content with the status quo; but two months into term, Dave was fed up with girls constantly hounding him for a date – and he told me that he'd had enough. He said that he was going to make our relationship public – very soon. I protested, but eventually gave in with a _little_ bit of apprehension." She wryly raised her thumb and forefinger with a small gap between them, prompting Lily and James to chuckle.

"The first Hogsmeade weekend came and went – we didn't go, instead spending our time walking around the grounds," continued Emily. "We discussed our careers – he wanted to be an Auror, and I was interested in the same thing… Voldemort was getting stronger, though we didn't know how strong at the time. We just saw the results – a spike in attacks on Muggles and Muggle-borns, and we both decided that we'd enrol into Auror training.

"Then came the first Quidditch match of the season. He was Captain of the Gryffindor team – a Chaser just like you, James," she added, giving him a little smirk. "Gryffindor totally trounced Slytherin that day, and I had mixed feelings – I supported the Slytherin team, but I was happy for Dave. But after the match ended, Dave disregarded his teammates and dived – he came to a halt _right_ where I was standing. Then he did something I could never have dreamed of – he removed his scarf from his neck and draped it lightly over mine. Sound familiar?" she added impishly, looking right at James.

"I believe so," he responded, smirking and turning to look at Lily… He was satisfied to see a blush spread across her face, and he gave her a small wink. Emily laughed.

" _Anyway_ ," said Lily, in an effort to focus attention away from her, "How did the student body react?"

"Not well," said Emily, shaking her head sadly. "I received a lot of hate from all those girls who had a crush on Dave – plus my own Housemates were disgusted with me 'frolicking around with a dunderheaded Gryffindor'. The worst part was that my best friend of six years also ended our friendship – but I guess I should've expected that, considering that she was a pureblood, too, and a vocal proponent of blood supremacy. Almost everyone in my House ended up ostracising me, and I was hurt and angry – but I began to spend a lot of my time at the Heads' Quarters, and gradually, I learned not to care what they thought."

"Wow – it must've been painful to lose all your friends," said Lily sympathetically.

"Well – they clearly weren't good friends to begin with," said Emily, her mellifluous voice carrying a note of contempt. "Anyway, it didn't matter – in Dave's mates, I found a new set of friends. They were a lot more supportive and accepting than the Slytherins, which changed my perception of Gryffindors heavily, and I started wearing Dave's scarf as my own, with pride." She smiled fondly once again. "We went out for the remainder of the year, did well on our NEWTs, and got into the Auror training programme.

"The next three years were intense, but we got through it – as trainees, we played an active role in restoring order after the pureblood riots of the late sixties, which took place against the Squib Rights marches. Our relationship remained as strong as ever, though I was disinherited by my family and still treated with suspicion from Martha; to her credit, however, she _did_ try to be nicer to me after my family had kicked me out –"

"Hang on," interrupted Lily, " _Really?_ Your family disinherited you?"

"Yep," said Emily matter-of-factly, "That's how little they thought of Muggles and Muggleborns, see?"

"Unbelievable," Lily whispered. James could hear indignation and surprise in her voice, and he squeezed her shoulder once again.

"It didn't matter, Lily," continued Emily, with an indifferent smile. "I didn't care – I had Dave, and so long as I had him, I was happy and content. Once we qualified as Aurors, we began to participate in raids a lot more than, and I had a policy – that scarf he'd given me, it was a testament to our relationship, and how we'd defied the conventional bad blood that still lies between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was too valuable, see? So, I always left it at home…" She smiled. "I digress… Anyway, we managed to apprehend several Knights of Walpurgis – the precursors to the Death Eaters – before getting married, and shortly afterwards, I became pregnant with Nick.

"During that time, Dave's Dad had passed away due to a heart attack – we tried to treat him at St Mungo's, but it was too late. However, Martha helped me with my pregnancy, and that was when we really started warming up to each other. Then Nick was born, and my happiness was complete. I had a doting husband, a beautiful baby boy, and a mother-in-law who had finally accepted me as her son's wife. Unfortunately, it was too good to last…"

The pain in her voice was unmistakable, and she closed her eyes. "That last raid – see, I shouldn't have been there that night, but it was massive, and there were several Death Eaters doing battle with us," she said heavily. "I arrived to help as part of the reinforcements – but I could do nothing – _nothing_ – as an explosion killed about ten of us – _including_ Dave." She opened her eyes, and the agony in them was unbearable. Lily immediately clasped Emily's hand in her own, and James said, "I'm so sorry, Emily…"

"It gets worse," replied Emily sadly. "In the ensuing chaos, I was captured. I suppose they had a grudge against me – a former Slytherin, a Parkinson by birth, fighting against them? I _had_ to be punished…" She closed her eyes again, and a single tear dropped to her cheeks. "They took me away and tortured me for information. The Cruciatus Curse… It was the least of it."

She took in a deep breath, as though bracing herself. "When the Cruciatus Curse failed to break me, they resorted to cruder means of torture." Her eyes were shut tight, and her face was contorted as she continued, "I was shackled, starved, and made to drink water from a bowl – like an animal. There was no place for me to – you know, to relieve myself, either…" Lily squeezed Emily's hand more urgently, and James felt disgusted, unable to believe what he was hearing. _These Death Eaters aren't human, they're animals!_ he thought savagely.

"That didn't work, either – for I wouldn't yield," Emily ploughed on; it seemed like she was unable to stop talking. "They –" she began to sob a little, "—the same creeps who had attacked that little second-year all those years ago – they did terrible things to me – terrible, unspeakable things… They left me there, helpless and bleeding, every time they were finished with me – so many times… So many times, that I wished I were dead…"

It was as if every word as being forced from Emily. James felt nothing but revulsion as he heard this horrifying tale… Emily began to cry in earnest, and Lily reached her for a hug once again. She stroked the older witch's back comfortingly, and Emily hugged her tightly as her sniffles slowly subsided. James felt horrible; to think he'd been so harsh with her since she'd started teaching them… And she'd seen such unimaginable and abominable horrors. Why, oh why, had he been such a git to her?

Regaining her composure at last, Emily continued bravely, "Nick and Dave – they kept me strong… Kept me going. I simply _had_ to fight – for them. But then…" A devastated look came over her face. "They showed me that they had Nick, and told me that he'd be kept hostage until I agreed to do what they said. For Heaven's Sake, he was only _two!_ " she exclaimed, and the fury in her voice was unmistakable. She shrank back into her chair and ploughed on, "Well – I couldn't resist after that… I still held back on crucial information, though – _just_ gave them enough to think that it was valuable. A true Slytherin trait, I may add," she said, with a wry smile. "Self-preservation…"

"What happened next?" Lily said softly.

"They had a mission for me – to go to Hogwarts and teach, while at the same time mentor a Muggleborn student to pass a test," Emily said heavily. "I dunno whose initiative this was – but I always suspected that git Dolohov, wanting to earn brownie points with Voldemort by trying to destabilise Hogwarts from within, and hoping to incite a riot between purebloods and Muggleborns…" She shook her head disdainfully. "Anyway, if the student succeeded, Nick would be let go. If he failed, or if I went to anyone else with what I was being put through – Nick would be killed." She shuddered. "You already know how that part went…"

James nodded mutely. The last half hour had changed his entire perception of Emily Walcott. He'd liked and respected her when she'd taught them Defence Against the Dark Arts, and he'd been shocked beyond measure when he'd learnt that she was involved in the attacks on innocent students. But he'd known that she was redeemable… After all, she'd made that plea to him and Lily… Hadn't she made them promise that they'd join the fight against Voldemort?

When she'd arrived to teach them that year, though, memories of her betrayal had returned – and while he'd still respected her abilities and competence, he'd treated her coldly, unable to forgive her past misdeeds. But now… Now, he understood. He'd be just as distraught if Lily had been the one held hostage, and if he'd had to undergo the level of torture as Emily – he admitted to himself that he'd probably have cracked _long_ before she had. He felt bitterly ashamed of himself…

"Anyway," said Emily, and James looked up to see that she was smiling again, albeit a little weakly. "That's the story of the scarf. It reminds me of what I had – and it gives me my will to live. Even if I'm dying, I can still contribute to the resistance against Voldemort… Besides, I'm not too worried about Nick. He still has Martha, and his education will take place in Australia, away from all this – and I can make it my remaining life's aim to train young witches and wizards to defy Voldemort, the lousy, fiendish wanker who destroyed my life. What?" she added, evidently at their astonished faces, "Dave had a prolific vocabulary of swearwords!"

James laughed tentatively, and Lily asked, "Did you contact Dumbledore after – after you found out?"

Emily nodded. "Yes – he gave me a second chance. He really _is_ a great man – he believes in second chances." Her voice rang with conviction. "Dumbledore gave me a purpose – besides, he knew that I'd be an asset. I have nothing left to lose, do I? The most dangerous person –" she added slowly, "—is the one with nothing to lose…"

 _She's right_ , James thought. _Dumbledore knows this, without doubt…_

"Well – it's late, the two of you had better get going," said Emily, and stood up. Recognising the dismissal, they stood up, too. "Er – I'm sorry, Emily," said James, bowing his head. "I'm sorry I treated you like that… Thank you for making me understand."

Lily rubbed his back comfortingly, and he appreciated the gesture. He only hoped that Emily would forgive him…

"Forget it," Emily said, and James looked up; much to his relief, she was smiling. "Thank you, truly. The two of you – you'll be incredible fighters, once I'm through with you. They'll have a hard time dealing with you both…"

"Thank you, Emily," said Lily, and a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "And – let us know if we can do anything to – to help, OK?" she added after a pause.

Emily smiled sadly. "It's sweet of you to offer – but there's nothing, really, that anyone can do for me," she said, shaking her head. "My only hope is that I die on the battlefield, warrior-like – and not in a bed, surrounded by people crying over my dead body."

"Don't say that," said Lily firmly. "Don't… Maybe, maybe there's a way…"

James sighed; Lily was still in denial. She hadn't yet accepted that Emily was going to die. Always the optimist, James knew that she wouldn't give up until all hope was truly lost…

Emily shook her head. "'Fraid not," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "But it fills me with joy to see the two of you together… It's wonderful to have more love in this world. It's the most powerful magic in the world, love is…"

Lily blushed even more, and James decided to change the subject; Lily hadn't said 'I love you' to him yet, and he didn't want to pressure her. "Er – Emily, would you like to come over to our house – for our New Year's party? Lily's going to be there, too… Would you like to join us?" he asked.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Emily's face. "I don't want to intrude," she said softly. James snorted and said, "Oh, no – nothing like that, my parents have essentially told me to invite whoever I want. We'd be glad to have you…"

Emily considered. "I don't know…" she said uncertainly, and James understood that she probably wanted to spend it with her family. Nonetheless, he said, "You can celebrate New Year's twice – once in Australia, then again in England, if you grab an early-morning portkey out of Australia!"

"Good point," Lily said giving him an admiring glance. "Oh, just say yes, Emily!" she added impatiently.

"My, your persuasion style needs some refining," Emily said, her tone dry. Lily laughed, as did James. "Fine, I'll be there," said the teacher, and James grinned in satisfaction. "All right! Well – have a good Christmas!"

"You, too – and good luck!" Emily responded, giving him a suggestive wink. He blushed a bit, as did Lily. With a small wave at her, the two of them exited the classroom, and began to walk towards HQ, speaking little… James brooded silently over Emily's tale of woe, and her subsequent acceptance of her fate. _Poor thing_ , he thought… _She doesn't deserve this…_ Immersed in his own thoughts, he didn't realise that he'd arrived at the HQ until the portrait of Antoine l'ambiteux was right in his face, and he followed Lily inside.

"We still have to go for our patrol – in about an hour," he said, consulting his watch. "D'you want something from the kitchens? I'm going to get some coffee for myself…"

"Sure," said Lily, her voice somewhat husky. "Bring me a cup of coffee, too."

Something in her voice made James quickly embrace her, and cling to her tightly. Her body began to shake with silent sobs; she'd kept her emotions in check as they'd walked back, but now… She cried with all her heart. And James simply patted her back and stroked her hair, as tears came to his eyes, too… But he couldn't let her see them. He fiercely blinked them away… If he showed weakness now, she'd feel worse – and he couldn't bear that…

"Wait here," he said, gently lowering her onto the sofa as he drew back. "I'll be back in a jiffy…"

He was as good as his word; he returned with chocolate pie and two mugs of coffee within ten minutes, using his Invisibility Cloak and his favourite shortcuts to the kitchens. He set them down on the little table in front of them, and the two of them drank their coffee silently. Then James decided to ask Lily something that had been bothering him.

" _When_ did you forgive Emily – and begin to trust her?" he asked her baldly. He'd never been one to beat around the bush… Blunt and direct, that's how he was.

"It's been coming for a while," said Lily. She seemed much calmer now, and her eyes were a little red as she looked at him squarely. "I – I've never felt about someone the way I feel about you, James," she said, her words coming out in a rush. James stiffened at once. Was she going to say what he thought she was?

"As I started to feel that way about you, I began to empathise more and more with Emily," Lily continued. "I understood what it was like to feel protective about someone else… How it would hurt me so much if even a hair on their head was turned the other way… I knew I had feelings for you, James," she added, "But as we learned to fight over these past few weeks, the realisation came, too…"

She looked into his eyes directly. He could read a variety of emotions in her beautiful green eyes – sadness, fear, even a hint of anger… But there was also a burning kind of intensity, the kind that came to the fore every time she tried to learn a new Spell or Charm, or when she duelled anyone during their training sessions with Emily… The same intensity that he'd seen in her eyes when she'd kissed him for the first time, under the beech tree… It was her fiery passion, the very emotion that had made him fall in love with her irreversibly.

"This war, it's getting worse," she said softly. "People are dying every day… One may be alive today, and dead tomorrow. There isn't much time – which makes me appreciate what I have even more." She paused. "I know it's a little soon, James – but here goes," she said, her emerald eyes still boring into his own. "I love you," she said quietly.

James felt a plethora of emotions – delight, elation, and a sudden impulse to dance around with joy. Resisting it, he did the only thing that made sense… He bent forward and kissed her gently on the lips.

After several moments (or possibly hours), they broke apart. Lily was gazing intensely into his eyes, and he grinned at her, more in relief than anything else. "I love you, too," he said simply, and a slow smile appeared on her face. Judging by the delight he felt on seeing the smile, he inwardly roared in triumph. The resolution he'd made more than a year ago had never looked more real.

 _Someday I'm going to marry this girl._

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 **Author's Note:**

Happy New Year, and I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I have now completed three years of writing this story (including the first part), and I'm glad to say that my desire to write more is as strong as it was back then. I apologise for the long month it took me to update, but I was on holiday as well, and it took me some time to catch up on work once I got back. This is one of my favourite chapters, since it gave me the opportunity to provide a backstory to one of my all-time favourite characters. I hope you all like it too, and thanks for reading!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath, Anna and Debby. Cheers!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! Like I said, I wanted to provide Emily with a backstory, because it feels nice to have a character with a redemption arc. I'm trying to make her my Snape – but on a much lower scale, obviously!

 **Anna:** Yes, I'm sure it was, but this one makes the cut now – it's more than 14000 words, which is twice the length of a short story! And yes, that was the objective! I've come to realise that I don't have many characters with dark or tragic backstories – so, I decided to experiment with Emily, who is and remains one of my favourite characters throughout this story. And yes – they're both going to have insecurities, since it's the early phase of their relationship… However, we're working on an accelerated timeline, because of the war (Mrs Weasley, Half-Blood Prince). Oh, and I like Ashley, too – I generally like writing about feisty characters, and I like the idea of her being able to control Slytherin bullies only because of the respect they have for her as a Captain.

 **Debby:** Thank you! I hope you continue reading!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-five. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

" **You're no misfit."**

"I really don't see why the HQ had to turn into a ladies' dressing room," grumbled James as he donned his dress robes in his Gryffindor tower dormitory. It was Friday evening, and he was getting ready for the Slug Club Christmas party. As fellow members of the Slug Club, Lily and Liz would be with him, too, and they could all bring a plus-one… James had come up with an easy way to get Remus and Marlene into the party; Marlene would be going with him, and Remus with Lily. Liz was taking Sirius, obviously – and to James's great astonishment, Peter had declined to accompany them, opting instead to help his girlfriend, Jeanne, with her Transfiguration homework ("Never thought I'd see the day Pete chooses a girl – and books – over food," Sirius had said, shaking his head in disbelief). Marlene, on the other hand, had told James that her boyfriend was having a 'blokes' night' with his buddies, leaving her with nothing to do; that had prompted him to offer getting her into the party, a proposition she'd readily accepted.

"See, that's what happens when you offer to get Marlene in – that means they're all in, aren't they, with Mary going with Hathaway?" said Sirius, waggling his forefinger at James. He applied a Charm to his hair, causing it to become all spiky, much to James's grudging admiration. "How did you do that?" he asked rather enviously, and Sirius grinned. "You have a lot to learn, mate," he said, winking.

"I doubt James wants to learn how to be a textbook narcissist," said Remus from James's other side. He was happily wearing his new dress robes, a birthday present from the Marauders (it had been James's brainchild); surveying himself in the mirror with a satisfied smile, he added, "Thanks again for these, lads – these are grand!"

"What textbook would that be, Moony?" asked Sirius, disregarding Remus's gratitude.

Remus laughed. "Not a clue," he said, shrugging, "It's a Muggle expression – apparently, they use 'textbook' when something conforms to a standard that is widely held by theorists."

"You lost me at 'conforms'," said Sirius, shaking his head. "Why can't you use simpler words – like 'complies' or 'follows'?"

"Or 'corresponds'," quipped James. Remus snorted and said, " _Anyway_ – my point is, Sirius is about as narcissistic as they come, so it's no surprise that he knows several Spells to groom himself."

James laughed, and Sirius immediately whipped out his wand and turned Remus's hair yellow. "How's _that_ for grooming, Moony?" he laughed, but Remus had whipped out his own wand; a second later, Sirius's hair completely vanished, leaving nothing but a shiny, bald crown.

"My hair!" exclaimed Sirius, panicking as he felt his scalp, as James guffawed, " _What did you do to my hair?_ "

"Just sent it into non-being, which is to say, everything," responded Remus, with a twinkle in his brown eyes. "Don't worry – it's temporary, you'll have your hair back within no time." And sure enough, after about a minute of Sirius desperately staring into the mirror, his hair reappeared, completely intact.

"Nice one, Moony," said James admiringly, and Remus gave him a little wink. With another wave of his wand, he turned his own hair back to its natural brown colour; pointing his wand at Sirius, he said threateningly, "You do that again, I'll make your hair disappear – permanently. _Capiche?_ "

"Yes, sir," said Sirius meekly, and James laughed again. "You're like a silent assassin, Moony," he said appreciatively.

"Something like that," said Remus, smiling. "Now, if you _girls_ are finished getting ready – we need to go, it's nearly seven."

"Yep – I'm ready," said James, rolling his eyes. "Ask the peacock."

"Just a minute!" exclaimed Sirius as Remus chuckled. "A proud old peacock – yep, that sounds about right for Padfoot," he said decisively. Sirius made a rude hand gesture at James and Remus as he removed wrinkles and creases from his robes one last time before straightening up. "Right, let's go," he said, and together, the three of them walked towards the HQ.

" _Tannenbaum_ ," said James to Antoine l'ambiteux, who swung backward to admit them into the HQ. James and the others stepped into the common room and stopped dead in their tracks, their mouths opening in disbelief.

Three stunningly beautiful girls stood in front of them, but – James had eyes only for the one standing in the middle. Her dark red hair was straight, and she was wearing a hairband, just like she'd worn on their first date… Her bottle-green dress robes matched her emerald-green eyes beautifully, and she looked a picture of grace and elegance as she carried them to perfection. There was a lovely smile on her face, and James marvelled how lucky he was once again, to have her in love with him as much as he was with her…

"Hi," he said with a smile, "You look beautiful!" He bent forward and kissed her hand, and she giggled. "Thanks," she said shyly, as Sirius and Liz kissed from next to them, "But – you're sort of getting in the way of my date." She winked at him as she quickly brushed a lock of his hair off his forehead. "I'm just grooming you for _your_ date," she added mischievously, with a glance towards Marlene, who laughed.

James stuck her tongue out at Lily before grinning at Marlene. "Well – shall we?" he asked her, and held out his arm; she laughed again and said, "Tch, tch – why don't _I_ get the lady treatment?"

"The lady treatment is for – _ladies_ ," James shot back, grinning as he dodged a smack from her. "All right, all right – I'm just kidding!" he added as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You watch yourself, James Potter – when this is over, I'm going to hex you!" she said threateningly.

"Yeah – you do that, and you'll have to contend with Lily," said James, grinning crookedly at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Idiot," she said good-naturedly. "You're lucky I like you."

"Hey – he's mine," said Lily from behind them, and James felt a huge surge of excitement flow through his body. "Once we're in Slughorn's office – he's all mine," she added, and he blew a kiss at her.

"There – my date with Lily lasted all but two minutes," said Remus wryly, and everyone laughed. "Well – c'mon, then," said Sirius, and he walked out of the HQ arm-in-arm with Liz. Remus gestured to Lily (after shooting a guilty glance in James's direction) that they follow Sirius and Liz, and Lily gave James a quick kiss on the cheek before exiting the room with Remus.

"She _really_ likes you, doesn't she?" said Marlene, and James smiled at her. "Yes," he said cheerfully, "She told me she loved me last night – right here."

"Wow," said Marlene, her eyes round. "Isn't that a little –"

"Soon?" asked James as they walked out of the HQ. "Yeah, sort of… But if you know, you know, so what's the point of waiting?"

"True," said Marlene thoughtfully. "Well – what did you say? How did you react?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" replied James, grinning. "I told her the same thing!"

"That a boy," said Marlene, patting him on the back. "Then again – wouldn't be the first time you've said that to her, would it?" she added impishly.

"You know that's right," said James, smirking at her. "Either way, though," he continued, his voice becoming gentle, "It felt _amazing_ to hear her say that… I've had my doubts, see? I mean, our history isn't exactly the best –"

"Irrelevant," said Marlene, shaking her head. "I dunno how many times you need to hear this, James… She _likes_ you. She really, _really_ likes you… She isn't the kind of girl who says 'I love you' to people as if she's dealing playing cards." James laughed, and Marlene continued, "Anyway… The past doesn't matter. We learn from it, and we do better – _that's_ the point of the past. You've done that – and see how well that's worked out!"

"Yeah – it has, hasn't it?" said James, giving her a dreamy sort of smile.

She smacked his arm lightly. "Well – so long as you don't do anything stupid," she said, and James shook his head. "People keep saying that," he said truthfully, and Marlene laughed. "People have a point," she responded with a smirk. "Then again, they're just trying to caution you, based on history, aren't they?"

"I suppose," said James, shrugging. "But I'm _not_ going to do anything stupid… I _love_ her, Mar. I've loved her for a long time, and I wouldn't dream of doing anything to jeopardise what I have with her."

"Well, then – I'm happy for you," said Marlene sincerely as she placed her arm through his. "And thanks for letting me into the party," she added, "Paul and his friends are being idiots – they sneaked Firewhiskey into the castle today, so you can guess what they're up to right now."

"Naturally," said James, giving her a lopsided grin. "Who got the Firewhiskey, though?" he added curiously. Had Harper and his friends found a secret passageway to Hogsmeade?

"Paul," said Marlene, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have told him about that passageway we used during our third year – so in a way, I only have myself to blame." James privately agreed, noting to himself that they should stop using that passage if other people also knew about it…

Lily was waiting for him just inside Slughorn's office, and he bade goodbye to Marlene before holding out his hand to his girlfriend; with a giggle, Lily took it, and he immediately led her to the refreshments table. "Really? Is this always where you go first?" she asked, rolling her eyes as he poured pumpkin juice for them both. He grinned.

"I love my food," he said honestly. "Besides, Slughorn always has something good here – look, Firewhiskey," he added, pointing at a bottle. Lily shook her head. "Not now – maybe later," she said, and dragged him away from the refreshments table despite his protests. "C'mon – we should greet our host first."

James obeyed, and they went to say hello to Professor Slughorn, who immediately introduced them to a stately-looking young witch, evidently one of his former students. "This is Emmeline Vance," said Slughorn, "She was a dab hand at potions just like you, Lily – and she qualified as an Auror within only twenty-seven months, a department record! An absolute prodigy!"

"Thank you, Professor," said Emmeline, with an embarrassed smile at James and Lily. "But it isn't really that impressive –"

"Always a modest one, weren't you, Emmeline?" said Slughorn heartily. Someone tapped him on the shoulder just then, and he told James and the others to enjoy the party before walking away with the other person. "Twenty-seven months?" said James, looking at Emmeline incredulously. "That's unbelievably impressive! It's a three-year programme, and I know how tough it is!"

"You would, considering your Dad's in charge of us all," said Emmeline, grinning at him. "He's a great man, Mr Potter is… And –" her voice dropped down to a whisper, "—I take it Professor Dumbledore is training you to join the Order of the Phoenix?"

"How did you –?" said James, completely thrown; beside him, Lily's eyes widened in surprise. Emmeline grinned.

"I'm part of the Order, too," she said softly. "Dumbledore approached me earlier this year, asking if I could train the potential new recruits… But I said no, I wouldn't have had the time to do that aside from my job and Order duties… Anyway, I hear Emily Walcott is teaching you now?"

"That's right," said Lily. "She's really – good."

"Yeah, she is," said Emmeline. "We were in the same year at Hogwarts," she added, much to their surprise. "Yes – she was incredibly gifted, even at Hogwarts… Always came first in our year, she did." Emmeline smiled. "Teachers would often address me by her name and vice-versa… Even though I was a Ravenclaw."

"Yeah – like Lily said, she's a great teacher," said James, smiling at Emmeline. "We're learning loads from her…"

"I'm not surprised," said Emmeline. "She was always talented – but she rarely spoke up in class, nor did she volunteer answers. She'd only speak when she was spoken to, see? 'Silent scholar' – that's what we called her…" James smiled politely, and Emmeline continued, "I always thought she was rather shy, but I didn't get to know her very well – her best friend was someone I detested with all my heart. Oh, yes – I never saw eye-to-eye with Bellatrix Black."

"Woah, hang on," said Lily, "Emily's best friend at Hogwarts was – _Bellatrix Black?_ Who is now – _Bellatrix Lestrange?_ " She couldn't keep the shock and astonishment from her voice.

"The very same," said Emmeline, her lips set in thin line. "Well – until our sixth year, at least," she added, shaking her head. "I'm not sure what happened after that – I think it had something to do with her going out with Dave Walcott… Dave was a Gryffindor, see? I'm sure Bellatrix saw it as a betrayal, or something as preposterous," she said contemptuously.

"That _was_ the reason," said James. "Emily told us."

"Oh?" Emmeline asked, raising her eyebrows. "That would make a lot of sense… I only got to know Emily during Auror training, see? She was excellent – she was the only one I had trouble against while we practised duelling, she was so _fast!_ You lot are lucky to have her teaching you – make sure to learn as much as you can from her," she added fervently.

"That's the plan," said James, grinning.

"I take it you'd have known her husband, too?" asked Lily, and Emmeline nodded. "Yup," she said heavily, "He was a nice bloke, Dave was… It's terrible what happened to him." She closed her eyes. "Emily was never the same again – but it's good she's here now, mentoring promising young students like you both. It sounds like she's enjoying herself." She smiled.

"We think so, definitely," said Lily. "When did you join the Order, Miss Vance?"

"Oh, call me Emmeline, dear," said Emmeline warmly. "Dumbledore recruited me five years ago, a couple of years after I'd qualified as an Auror. It's a difficult job, really – but I think Dumbledore has the right idea. Work against Voldemort, without being bound by the law… You might say that isn't the point of a civilised society, but this is war, and you'd be mad not to try anything and everything to prevent the Dark Side from winning."

"I agree," said James, and Lily nodded from next to him. Emmeline smiled again and said, "Well, it was nice meeting you both – I'll be telling your Dad that I made your acquaintance, James. And – it was nice meeting you, Lily… You two look good together."

"Er – thanks," said James, grinning as he saw a blush spread across Lily's face. "See you in the Order – when you graduate," said Emmeline, and with a final smile and wave, she headed off to socialise with the other guests. As soon as she was out of earshot, Lily said, "Wow – Bellatrix Lestrange was Emily's best friend at school! What d'you make of that?"

"I can understand why Emily didn't name her," said James thoughtfully. "Embarrassing by association, isn't it?"

"Sort of," said Lily, shrugging as the band struck up a fast tune. She looked at James expectantly, and James grinned. "Would you care to dance, m'lady?" he said, smirking, and she giggled and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. They spent the better part of the next two hours alternating between dancing and eating, and it was a happy couple that returned to the HQ that night…

"Goodnight," said James, once they were inside the HQ. He kissed her gently, and she responded enthusiastically before giving him a little wave and walking towards her dormitory. He stared at her until she went out of sight, before sighing and making his way to his own dormitory… Oh, how he _loved_ that girl!

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"I think this Muggle apparel suits you, Jamie," said Mrs Potter as she walked with James to the front door of Potter mansion. "It _does_ make you look rather chic!"

"Er – thanks, Mum," said James, blushing slightly and feeling a little self-conscious; it was evening on Christmas Day, and he was just about to leave for Lily's for dinner. "It was Lily's idea," he continued, "She said it would make a better impression on her parents if I went to their house wearing Muggle clothing, see?"

"I must say I agree with her," said Mrs Potter with a little chuckle. "For instance – just like she'll probably don dress robes for our New Year party, you need to respect _their_ customs and culture, too!"

"She'll wear dress robes 'coz it's a formal occasion and she's a _witch_ – not a Muggle," said James dryly. Mrs Potter smirked and said, "You know very well what I meant… Well – good luck, son." She hugged him tightly. "I'm sure you'll do fine!"

"Thanks, Mum," said James, grinning. "Blimey, I'm nervous – I think the last time I was this nervous was during my first Prefect meeting as the new Head Boy!"

"You'd be mad not to be nervous, Jamie," said Mrs Potter fondly. "It shows how much you care about this dinner going well…"

"Yeah – sort of," said James with a little nod. "Any last-minute words of wisdom?"

"Nah – just be yourself," said his Mum. "But – not too much," she added, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. James laughed, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and set off towards his usual Disapparition point, immersed in his thoughts…

When he'd met them briefly at King's Cross a few days ago, Lily's parents had reiterated their invitation to him for dinner on Christmas Day, adding that they were looking forward to getting to know him better. He'd met Lily nearly every day of the holidays, and she'd coached him rigorously on the possible questions her parents may have for him – what his future plans were, what his perspectives were, the kind of person his was, and questions about his parents, too… "They're going to vet you quite conscientiously," she'd warned. "So – remember what we've discussed and answer all their questions naturally. Oh, and don't forget – not a word about the war, or the fact that we're going to fight immediately after graduation. Understood?"

"Yes, sweetheart," he'd said patiently… He could understand her concerns – she didn't want her parents to worry, and he could relate to that.

James materialised a few yards away from Lily's house and began to make his way to it with a smile on his face. It was already dark, and not a soul was about – clearly, everyone was enjoying their Christmas dinner. James thought about that morning as he walked, and his grin grew wider – he'd been quite surprised that Lily had managed to give him a better Christmas present than he had for her. They'd agreed to meet for lunch to exchange gifts in person, and James had gotten Lily a beautiful necklace – goblin-made, studded with miniature rubies and diamonds, with an emerald that was the exact shade of her eyes in the centre. He'd felt rather proud of himself as he'd put it around her neck – he'd arranged for it to be custom-made through his Dad – but when she'd given him his present, he'd been completely overwhelmed.

She'd given him a locket with a heart-shaped pendant – it was beautiful, all right, but what made it special was the Spells on it. She'd gone on to explain that it had the ability to act as an 'energy absorber'; it could absorb energy from the surroundings and transmit it to the wearer. James had immediately seen what an _incredibly_ useful item it was – a locket with kept the wearer from tiring? It was _unbelievable!_ He couldn't help thinking that he should've gotten her something useful like that – and his guilt had grown after she'd proudly told him that she'd spent months working on the correct combination of Spells to culminate in the desired effects, and how the process had been so complex, for it varied from person-to-person, and the combination Lily had used was specific only to him. He marvelled at her spellwork; sure, he'd known she was talented, but today, she'd shown him just _how_ talented…

James stood on the front porch of Lily's house and rang the doorbell; excitement was replacing his nervousness now. He knew that he was a charismatic person – what was more, Lily's parents had appeared to like him at King's Cross, and he was determined to make an excellent impression on them. Oh, yes… If he wanted to marry their daughter eventually, he _had_ to make sure that they'd welcome him into their family, too…

The door opened, and James's smiled widened as he surveyed his girlfriend, who was looking drop-dead gorgeous in a maroon cocktail dress (she'd explained the various types of semi-formal and formal Muggle clothing to him earlier that day). "You – look – uh –" he started to say, but she cut him off, grinning widely as she said, "Beautiful? Stunning? Heavenly?" Her grin widened.

"I was actually going to say – ravishing," said James, bending forward and kissing her hand. "That necklace looks lovely on you – even if I say so myself, though I sort of wish it had special powers, too – like this nice little locket." He quickly showed her the pendant of the locket he wore under his robes, and she beamed. "Oh, it's special, all right," she said softly, holding up her necklace. "It's the best present anyone's ever given me."

"Is that so?" said James, grinning crookedly at her. She winked at him, before saying, "Well, c'mon in – it's cold out, and dinner's ready…"

"My pleasure," said James, and stepped inside. She closed the door and led him into the dining room, where her parents were already seated; Mr Evans stood up as they entered, and said, "Welcome, my dear boy, welcome! Happy Christmas to you!" He extended his hand, and James gave him a firm handshake. "Happy Christmas to you, too, sir – and thank you once again for inviting me tonight!"

"Our pleasure, young man," said Mr Evans, his green eyes crinkling as he smiled. Mrs Evans shook his hand, too, and everyone sat down. "Mmm – smells delicious, Mrs Evans," said James, as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of stuffed turkey, pigs-in-blankets, and redcurrant jelly. "Is this redcurrant jelly made with – orange zest?"

"Why, yes – indeed it is," said Mrs Evans, smiling at him in pleasant surprise. "You can tell – just from the smell?"

"Oh, yes," said James eagerly. "I've had redcurrant jelly with both lemon and orange zest – but I prefer orange, the scent and flavour are so much richer."

"Wow – I'm impressed," said Mrs Evans. "I've been cooking for more than twenty years now, and even I have difficulty while telling the difference!"

"James's nose is as good as Lucy's," said Lily, laughing. James raised his eyebrows. "Who's Lucy?" he asked with a little smile.

"She's my cousin Matt's dog," said Lily. "An adorable one, she is –"

"No, no, you don't have to do that –" said James, as Mrs Evans served him a piece of turkey. She only smiled and said, "Oh, it's nothing, dear boy… And remember, you're not going home without triple helpings of everything!"

"I – really –" said James awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond – of course, he had no problem having triple helpings of everything, but he didn't want to come off as greedy. Mr Evans smiled and said, "Don't worry, dear lad – she fusses like this over everyone! Now – aside from having the nose of a bloodhound, what else is special about you?" There was a twinkle in his green eyes, and James laughed as he began to speak about himself…

Dinner passed by pleasantly, and James thoroughly enjoyed himself. He talked about his parents, gained significant knowledge about Lily's parents and their careers, and found out several hilarious incidents from Lily's childhood that had him laughing uncontrollably, much to Lily's chagrin. He could feel himself relax as the meal went on – Lily had made him a little nervous, but his natural charm was taking care of things quite effectively. _Hmm – perfect time to find out that I'm good at this_ , he thought triumphantly. Finally, after a couple of hours and triple helpings of everything (Mrs Evans had insisted, and James hadn't really been able to refuse politely), he set down his fork.

"Wow – that was amazing," he said with a satisfied sigh and wishing he got meals like these every day. Mrs Evans beamed at him. "Are you sure you're done, James?" she asked, and he grinned back at her. "Yes, thank you, Mrs Evans – I couldn't possibly eat another bite. It was delicious," he said, with another contented sigh.

"Ooh, if you're so full, that's too bad," said Mrs Evans with a twinkle in her pale-blue eyes, "'Coz I was just going to bring dessert."

"Oh, I have room for dessert," said James eagerly. "There's a well-established theory in the Wizarding world that everyone has two stomachs – one for regular meals and one for dessert –"

Lily snorted, and Mr Evans guffawed heartily. Mrs Evans made a clicking noise with her tongue and replied, "That's not specific to the Wizarding world – we have the same theory in our world, too… In fact, Lily is the best example of that, aren't you, Lily?" She winked at her daughter, who shrugged. "Can't help it if I have a sweet tooth," she said, "And – aren't we forgetting who that comes from, Mum?"

"Not me," interjected Mr Evans quickly, drawing disbelieving glances from Mrs Evans and Lily. "Nice try, Daddy," said Lily, "But weren't you the one who took me for an ice cream three times a week when I was five, while walking home from school?"

"What?" said Mrs Evans, raising her eyebrows at her husband, who sighed. "I can't believe we went nearly twelve years without that coming up," he said with mock-contrition, "Thanks a lot, Princess." But his green eyes were amused, and Mrs Evans shook her head. "I'm only joking – I knew _exactly_ what the two of you were up to, but I chose to ignore it 'coz Lily never fell ill – she never even caught a cold. Healthy child, she was," she added to James.

"That's hardly surprising, Mrs Evans," he replied, "My Mum told me that wizards and witches hardly suffer from common ailments like a cold or the sniffles – good healing abilities, see?"

"That explains a lot," said Mrs Evans, nodding. "Why – when Tuney caught the chicken-pox when she was seven, Lily would sit with her all day and keep her entertained… We were so worried that _she'd_ fall sick, too, but she didn't."

"There you go," said James, "Magic is pretty amazing that way."

"It's good to have a witch in the family, then," said Mr Evans, giving Lily a fond glance. Turning to Mrs Evans, he said, "Speaking of Tuney, dear – where is she? Wasn't she going to be home in time for dessert?"

"Yes, she said she'd be here by seven," said Mrs Evans, frowning as she glanced at the kitchen clock, which showed seven-fifteen. "She's late," she added, standing up. "Well, if she can't be here on time – it's _her_ problem if she doesn't get her share of dessert."

"Nah, it's OK, Mum," said Lily quickly. "We can wait, right?"

"Yes – we can wait, it's all right," said James, earning himself an approving glance from Lily.

Mrs Evans sighed. "I don't know how long she'll take to arrive," she said, "She _is_ meeting her boyfriend's family, after all…"

"What?" Lily said, frowning. "You didn't say –"

"It was just this morning that she told us," said Mrs Evans, shaking her head. "She'd said earlier that she'd be having Christmas dinner with friends – then this morning, she told us that she was meeting that boy's parents tonight… Apparently, _they_ wanted to meet her too, and there didn't seem to be a better occasion!" She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Quite a bombshell she dropped," said Mr Evans. "We didn't even know she was going out with someone – that too, for several months! Then she asked us if she could bring that boy over for dessert tonight – naturally, we said yes. I'd like to meet this Vernon Dursley bloke – and see if he's a fine young gentleman like you, James."

"Oh, c'mon," said James, giving him an embarrassed smile. "Vernon – hang on," he continued as he remembered something, "This must be the same bloke that –" he broke off as he received a warning glance from Lily, changing tack at once, "—Lily mentioned, isn't he?"

"What – _you_ knew?" said Mrs Evans, raising her eyebrows at Lily, who was shaking her head at James. He gave her an apologetic glance, and she sighed and said, "Tuney mentioned to me that she was going out with a bloke named Vernon during the summer holidays… I didn't say anything to you 'coz it isn't my place to say anything, see?" She looked a little pleadingly at her parents. "I mean – what if Tuney had told you about James before I'd had a chance to do so – how would you have felt then?"

"Yeah – that's fair," said Mr Evans with a little nod. James understood immediately that it was prudent not to mention their meeting at the Wimbledon final; it was clear that Petunia hadn't done so, and like Lily said, it wasn't their place to say anything…

"Well – she should've been considerate about our time, at least," said Mrs Evans, sounding a little displeased. "It's rather impolite of them both to make us all wait –"

"That's fine, dear," said Mr Evans, waving a hand dismissively, and James backed him up valiantly by adding, "Yeah, Mrs Evans – plus, I'll get a nice break after that sumptuous dinner."

"Well – I'm glad you liked it," said Mrs Evans, giving him an amused glance as she appeared to forget her irritation with her elder daughter. "Lily did say you were a foodie –"

"Are you sure she said foodie and not greedy?" interrupted James with a smile, and everyone laughed. "After tonight – I'm inclined to think it was the latter," Mrs Evans returned, and Mr Evans chuckled richly as Lily whispered, "Mum!"

"Oh, don't worry, Princess – your Mum's just kidding," said Mr Evans, patting Lily gently on the back.

"Has she always been this uptight?" James asked, winking at Mr Evans, who grinned. "Which one of these two are you talking about?" he responded wryly, prompting Lily and Mrs Evans to exclaim in unison, "I'm not uptight!"

The doorbell rang at that very moment, and Mrs Evans stood up. "Must be them," she said, "I'll get it – but I'm going to have a word with _you_ later," she added mock-threateningly to Mr Evans, who continued said with pretend meekness, "Yes, dear."

Narrowing her eyes at her husband, Mrs Evans exited the dining room. "Why didn't you tell us sooner that she was coming with her – _boyfriend_ , Daddy?" Lily hissed at once, shaking her head; there was a frown on her beautiful face. "A little bit of warning would've been nice!"

"To be honest, I only just remembered," said Mr Evans, "Some delightful company over Christmas dinner made me forget…" He winked at James, who grinned back at him, heartened.

"Yeah – nice try," said Lily, rolling her eyes. "You thought you could – what, just spring it on us? That she was doing the same thing _I_ was – _am?_ " She sounded a little agitated, and James said, "Hey – easy there, Lil… It's fine, she was going to join us for dessert anyway, wasn't she?"

"Just her would've been fine – but the boyfriend, I think that's a little – er, much," said Lily, shaking her head. James could see that she was getting dangerously close to revealing that she'd already met the man and taken an intense dislike to him, and he sought to move the conversation out of these turbulent waters before Mr Evans could cotton on. "Nah – it's fine, Lil, relax," he said pleasantly. "If it gets too awkward, I'll leave, I promise – you wouldn't mind that, would you, Mr Evans?" he added to Lily's Dad, who smiled and shook his head. "Rubbish," he said firmly, "No one's going to leave!"

"If anyone's leaving – it should be Vernon," muttered Lily. "After all, he's the one barging in on us like this –"

At that very moment, Mrs Evans entered the dining room, followed closely by Petunia and the man in question. James stood up and extended his hand in greeting, prepared to behave as if he'd never met the other two, but Vernon simply frowned at him and said, "It's John, isn't it?"

"James," said James, bristling with mild irritation as Vernon shook his hand. "My name's James…"

"Ah, yes," said Vernon, "Sorry, I've met so many new people in the past few months that it's hard to keep track sometimes."

"Oh, really?" said Mrs Evans as Petunia sat down at the dining table. "So – you and James have met before, have you?"

 _It's clear from where Lily gets her sharpness_ , thought James with an admiring glance at Mrs Evans. Before he could muster some sort of lie to cover up their meeting, however, Petunia laughed nervously and said, "Er, no – Vernon likes to joke, don't you, Vernon? C'mon, sit down – don't be a stranger, now –"

"Thank you," said Vernon courteously, and sat down promptly between James and Mr Evans. "I'll fetch dessert," said Mrs Evans, and made her way to the kitchen just as Mr Evans asked, "So, you said you meet a lot of people, Vernon – what is it that you do, exactly?"

"Well – my name's Vernon Dursley, and I'm a Junior Executive at Grunnings, sir," said Vernon, puffing out his chest as he spoke, much to James's amusement. "I'm originally from Birmingham, which as you know is only an hour's drive away from here – but I work in the Grunnings London office, since my talent is best utilised there." James listened with polite interest as Vernon pompously told them about his job at his firm, which made drills (James knew what they were, thanks to his Muggle Studies class); he could see Lily frowning, and shook his head… If she wasn't careful, she was going to give away her dislike towards Vernon. He gave a mental sigh of relief when Mrs Evans arrived with dessert, a delicious-looking traditional Christmas pudding. Mrs Evans insisted on serving everybody, and James happily took a large bite of the pudding and said, "Mmm, Mrs Evans – this is delicious, it's even better than anything I've ever tasted at school!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, young man," said Mrs Evans sternly, but the amused glint in her pale-blue eyes gave her away, and James was gratified to see a tiny blush appear on her cheeks. "Honestly," he said emphatically, grinning, "This really is amazing –"

"I agree, it is tasty," interrupted Vernon, who looked like he didn't want to be outdone. "Does it contain brandy or rum, Mrs Evans?"

"Brandy," said Mrs Evans, raising her eyebrows. "You cook?"

 _Hmm, maybe he knows his food_ , thought James, as he, too, looked at Vernon in surprise. Was there more to him than what met the eye?

"Oh, no," said Vernon, shaking his head and smiling in a superior sort of way, "We have a cook – she's awfully good. And besides, cooking is a woman's job, anyway –"

 _Nah – there isn't_ , thought James with an inward laugh as Lily asked Vernon with a pleasant smile, "Oh, really?" Her tone was polite enough, but James sensed danger immediately. "You think so?" she continued.

"Yes," said Vernon, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

"Then what about –" said Lily, with the air of someone about to reveal something big, "—Philip Harben? Graham Kerr? Even – Keith Lloyd? All ladies, are they?" Her tone was triumphant, and James deduced that she'd named three presumably well-known Muggle chefs who _just_ happened to be men.

"Exceptions to the rule," said Vernon dismissively. "Perhaps they couldn't make it while following a manlier career – like playing football, or becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer, even…"

The fire in Lily's emerald-green eyes was enough for James to interrupt quickly and say, "Coming back to the original point – er, Vernon, does your cook make Christmas pudding with brandy or rum?"

"Rum," said Vernon, smacking his lips richly as he finished the last bits of his pudding. "Personally, I prefer brandy, but my sister likes rum in her pudding, so there you go."

"Oh, so you have a sister?" asked Mr Evans. "Is she younger, or older?"

"She's four years older," said Vernon. "Her name's Marge – well, it's really Marjorie, but we call her Marge for short."

"Right," said Mrs Evans. "What does she do?"

"She breeds bulldogs," said Vernon, his tone making it clear that he didn't think much of his sister's chosen occupation. "We have another house out in the country – a smart investment by my Dad, see? Anyway – it's quite nice, and the perfect place for Marge to set up – er, a breeding centre."

"Sounds fascinating," interjected James. "Lily here likes dogs, maybe we should visit your sister sometime." He smirked at Lily, who was looking daggers at him; he gave her a little wink that went unnoticed by everyone except Petunia, who frowned but remained silent. Dessert proceeded with Vernon providing some more insight into his work, not realising (or not caring, by the looks of it) that everyone except Petunia was getting quite bored… _Is he really that self-centred?_ thought James as he kept a little smile on his face. _And doesn't Petunia see it?_

At long last, their dishes were cleared, and Vernon asked Lily, "So, Lily – Petunia tells me you will graduate from school this summer… Have you thought about what you'd like to do after school? You should go for higher education, certainly – and take any internship opportunities that come your way. In fact, if you like, you can send me your CV, and I'll see what I can do – I know loads of people," he added with an air of superiority.

James longed to burst with laughter and managed to disguise it with a cough. Vernon frowned at him at once, and asked, "Is something funny, John?"

"James," corrected James at once, as irritation replaced his amusement. "And no – I just happened to have something stuck in my throat… Anyway, what can you tell us about opportunities at Grunnings?" he added with a straight face, stealing a glance at Lily, who smirked right back at him.

"Er – isn't there time for that, Vernon?" said Petunia, glaring at Lily as she spoke. "They still have a few months to graduate from school, and after that, they'll end up going for higher studies, too –"

"Yes, but Vernon here seems to be a smart young man, and the right person to talk to about all this – higher education, looking for jobs and the like," said Mrs Evans, with a sardonic smile that James was sure Vernon would certainly miss. "In fact –" she added, "—why don't the four of you go out for dinner tomorrow? You could talk about this important stuff – and you could spend some time getting to know each other, too!"

"I agree," seconded Mr Evans with a genial smile. "What say, Vernon?" he added, looking straight at him; Vernon smiled smugly. "You're right – I could give these two some advice, surely," he said, puffing out his chest at once.

"Mum –" Lily and Petunia started at the same time, but James cut across them. "I'd love getting to know the two of you better," he said; Mrs Evans had (knowingly, he was sure of it) presented him and Lily a golden opportunity to have a bit of fun with Vernon, and it was simply _too_ good to pass up. "How about it, Lily?" he added to his girlfriend, who was looking like she'd been asked to clean a toilet with her bare hands.

"Yeah, Petunia – this'll be nice, I have a lot of knowledge I can impart to these two here," said Vernon. It seemed as if the Evans sisters had no choice, for Petunia said, "Fine." Lily only nodded but gave James a 'You-and-I-are-going-to-discuss-this-later' sort of look; he only smiled back at her, feeling sure that he'd be able make her see the funny side of this planned dinner.

"Great – then it's settled," said Mrs Evans briskly. "You all could go to the Café Delizioso –"

"That dumpy little place around the corner from here?" said Vernon dismissively. "We went there a few days ago – I decided I'm never going there again, they have terrible service! Plus – their food isn't that great."

"You're joking, right?" said Lily calmly, but with the air of a woman readying herself for a fight; her cheeks were flushed, and she was openly glaring at Vernon. "We've all been there, we liked it – _didn't we, Tuney?_ " she added to her sister rather challengingly.

"Er – sure," said Petunia, giving Vernon a warning look, "But if _you_ didn't like it, Vernon, we could find someplace else –"

"Yes, we can," said Vernon, nodding. "Birmingham has some of the best restaurants in England – I can easily get us a table at an upscale place, I have contacts everywhere." The vanity in his tone was quite evident, and James yearned to grab the man and give him a good shake. Really, did he not have _any_ tact? Didn't he see how Mr Evans frowned or how Mrs Evans wrinkled her nose every time he made a self-important comment like that?

"All right, then," said Mr Evans. "You let Petunia know the time, and she'll inform the others."

"I'll do you one better," said Vernon, "I could drive all of you, considering I'm picking Petunia up anyway…"

Lily gave James a quick, beseeching glance; nodding, James said, "Er – that's very gracious, Vernon, but, er – Lily and I have plans tomorrow, we're going to – Manchester." He blurted out the first city that came to his head, hoping that Vernon would buy the lie.

"Yes – thanks for the offer, Vernon," said Lily, backing him up valiantly. "But – we're going to leave early in the morning tomorrow – so, if you let us know the time and place, we could meet you and Tuney at the restaurant itself… We could catch a direct train. In fact, Mum – how about we telephone you from Manchester at around three o'clock, so that you can give us Vernon's message?" she added to her mother, who nodded in assent.

"Sounds like a plan," said Vernon. "All right, I have to get going now – it was a pleasure meeting you, Mr and Mrs Evans." He stood up, shook hands firmly with Lily's parents, before nodding towards Lily and James. "Walk me to the door?" he added to Petunia, a surprisingly gentle note in his voice. Petunia giggled and nodded, and the two of them walked out of the dining room together.

Lily opened her mouth at once to say something, but Mrs Evans silenced her with a look. "Not now," she said softly, "I know what you're going to say – but the real reason I asked you and James here to have dinner with them is to gauge whether that young man is really a good match for our Tuney."

"But Mum –" started Lily, but it was Mr Evans who interrupted them. "He doesn't seem like a very pleasant young man – but there are two things that're important here. One, Tuney seems to have fallen for him – hard." He paused, and Mrs Evans nodded in agreement. "Two," continued Mr Evans, "Whatever his faults – I saw him treat Tuney with respect. He seems to be the kind who would dote on her – which is why, regardless of what I think of the man, I wouldn't be opposed to them if they tell us that they want to get married – eventually."

"Are you serious?" Mrs Evans said, before drawing in a sharp breath. "Look," she whispered, "Marriage and the like is quite far into the future… Besides, Tuney barely spoke a word throughout dessert! It looked like he's the one who does all the talking, and she can't get a word in edgewise!"

"Our Tuney is a strong girl," said Mr Evans firmly. "I fully believe she'll be able to hold her own against Vernon – or his family, for that matter…"

Mrs Evans turned to Lily. "Tell us what you think tomorrow night, Lily," she said. "Look, even if you don't like him – yes, that's fairly obvious," she added, smiling slightly at Lily's blush, "You should still gauge how they are, _together_. Whether he treats her well, whether she likes his company – I want a detailed report, and try to keep it as objective as possible."

"I understand, Mum," said Lily, nodding. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Er – are you going to tell Tuney to do the same for me and James?" She gave James a mischievous glance.

"Maybe," said Mrs Evans, giving James an impish smirk as Mr Evans chuckled. "But – we've had a chance to get to know James tonight, and we're quite sure that he's a fine young man."

"Seconded," said Mr Evans. "This is the first time our Princess has brought a boy home, James – which itself tells us a lot more than anything else."

James grinned. "I'm glad I passed the test," he said with a straight face. "Besides – I'm an open book, Mr and Mrs Evans… So, you can ask me whatever you like."

"That's all right, son – we like what we've seen so far," said Mr Evans genially, and James's heart leapt at once; had Lily's Dad just called him – son? Sure, it was an expression, but what if there was another connotation behind it?

"Well – thank you for inviting me for dinner tonight, it was great," he said with a smile, and Lily's parents grinned back at him. "Our pleasure, James," said Mrs Evans. "So – are you both really going to Manchester tomorrow?"

"Er – I'm not sure," said James, grinning at Lily. "It was the first thing I could think of –"

"I know," said Lily, smirking. "Blimey, James – you could've come up with something better –"

"I couldn't exactly tell him that we were spending the day at Sirius's, could I?" replied James, a little indignantly. "Besides, Manchester was closest – we can't exactly tell him that travelling long distances is commonplace for us, can we?"

"Hmm – that's fair," conceded Lily, causing James to smile at her triumphantly. Turning to Mrs Evans, Lily continued, "Well, Mum – I'll be home by five-thirty tomorrow, so that gives me an hour and a half to get ready and meet up with James before going to that restaurant Vernon chooses. I do hope Tuney won't be too difficult – where _is_ she, anyway?" she added, looking towards the front door. "She can't be saying goodbye for _so_ long!"

"Well – she _seems_ to be in love, at least," said Mr Evans, shaking his head slightly. "I mean, honestly, I think she can do better than that bloke – but then again, he seems bright, has a steady job, and appears to genuinely like her, too!"

"I'm sorry – did you say _bright?_ " said Lily, holding back a fit of giggles. "He couldn't tell a fox from a wolf – even if they danced in front of him!"

"Or maybe – a fox from a cat," said James dryly, causing Lily to laugh openly; however, Petunia walked in at that moment, but proceeded to walk straight upstairs without sparing so much as an irritable glance towards them. "What's _her_ problem?" Lily said, before adding quickly, "Ooh, that's right – she resents me for being a witch!" She laughed derisively, but James immediately sensed the anger and pain underneath it. "Hey – just relax, OK?" he said gently, as Mrs Evans shook her head and said, "Well, you tried, sweetheart – and as much as it pains me to say this, Petunia being a baby about your abilities makes this on _her_ , not you."

"Seconded," said Mr Evans; evidently, this seemed to be one of his favourite expressions. "Although, tomorrow – I expect the two of you to be civil to each other, at least."

"Understood," said Lily, nodding. She yawned contentedly, and James took this as a sign that he should leave; right on cue, he stood up and said, "Well – this has been a wonderful evening, Mr and Mrs Evans. Thank you again for having me."

"Oh, it was our pleasure, dear," said Mrs Evans warmly. "You're a very charming and well-mannered young gentleman, and we had a lot of fun meeting the 'special' boy 'bout whom our Lily keeps jabbering away!"

"I don't jabber," protested Lily, and Mr Evans chuckled. "Sure you don't, Princess," he said indulgently, with a twinkle in his eyes. Lily stuck her tongue out at him, before getting up as well. "I'll walk you to the door, then," she said, and James nodded; he shook hands with Mr and Mrs Evans, and much to his pleasant surprise, the latter bestowed a perfunctory hug on him. "It was great meeting you," she said delicately, "I hope you continue to keep our Lily happy."

"I promise," James whispered back. With an energetic wave, he began to walk towards the door, congratulating himself for a job well done…

"That went beautifully!" exclaimed Lily softly as he opened the door. He grinned and said, "Well, what did I tell you? My natural charm is enough!"

"And I shouldn't have doubted you," said Lily, giving him a genuine smile much to his surprise; she usually resorted to a wisecrack every time he made self-praising comments like these. "I'm just glad it went _so_ well – though I wish we don't have to do dinner tomorrow!" She sighed.

"Well – the way I see it, your Mum just gave us a chance to take the mickey out of Vernon," he replied, and she laughed. "Hmm – maybe it won't be such a waste of time after all," she said dryly, and James laughed. "I should get going," he said, before moving in for a kiss; however, she placed her forefinger on his mouth and hissed, "No – not here, not in my house, my parents are in the next room!"

James clicked his tongue. "You're a big girl," he said, but she shook her head. "Outside," she whispered, and they stepped out on to the porch; Lily immediately pulled him into a kiss, and they broke apart after locking lips passionately. "Blimey, you act like your doorstep is the Ireland-Northern Ireland border," said James, and Lily laughed. "For now," she said seductively, winking at him, "For now…"

James smirked before saying, "See you at Sirius's tomorrow?"

"I'll be there," she said, and he blew her a parting kiss before turning on the spot and Disapparating; he materialised at his usual Apparition point, and began to make his way home, feeling a giddy sort of happiness… He couldn't wait to tell his Mum how well the evening had gone. Lily's parents had _loved_ him!

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James and Lily spent Boxing Day with all their friends at Sirius's apartment, exchanging stories on what they'd been up to over Christmas Day… Sirius and Liz had had Christmas dinner at Huntington Cottage, Marlene and Mary at their respective boyfriends' homes, and Remus and Peter had spent time with extended family. It seemed as though everyone's relationships were getting serious; however, James couldn't help but notice that Remus's face betrayed wistfulness as everyone happily talked about Christmas Day… He sighed inwardly. Remus's refusal to let anyone get close to him owing to his lycanthropy had always been a hot topic of disagreement between him and the other Marauders, and James couldn't see an end to the impasse any time soon. Remus was just _too_ stubborn…

"I keep telling him – if she loves him enough, it won't matter!" he exclaimed as he and Lily walked towards their usual Disapparition point near her house. It was nearly six-thirty, and they'd both gone to their respective homes to get ready for dinner with Vernon and Petunia; James had insisted that he pick Lily up from her house, and she'd given in quite readily. "I mean, c'mon – he isn't even willing to try!"

"I know – but I see his point," said Lily patiently. "Look, if he isn't ready, there's no point forcing him to do something he doesn't want to… Give it time, OK? One day – _one day_ , he'll realise that he wants _that_ special person in his life."

"I hope that day comes soon," said James fervently as they arrived at their destination. No one was about, and James extended is hand graciously towards Lily, saying, "You know the address, right?"

"I have it memorised," said Lily. "But – like I said, we'll be Apparating in the woods behind Matt's house, and taking a bus to that restaurant –"

"Yeah, yeah, I know – too risky to Apparate near the restaurant itself," said James, rolling his eyes. "Fine," he added, and gently took her hand. "Go for it, then."

"With pleasure," she said, and turned around the spot once; James felt the familiar, unpleasant sensation as he disappeared into nothingness and materialised next to a clump of trees. "That's Matt's house," said Lily, pointing at pleasant-looking house about a hundred yards away. "They're away in Italy this Christmas, but they're returning the day after tomorrow. I'd like you to meet him, James," she added, "He's a nice bloke, and he'll like you… No word about us being magic, though." She mimicked sealing her lips with Sellotape, and he grinned. "Mum's the word," he said, as they walked up to a bus stop.

"Oh, by the way," said Lily, "I just remembered – Mum said Vernon proposed to Tuney, and they're engaged!"

"Wow, that's – wow!" said James, gobsmacked. "Your Dad wasn't kidding when he said that bloke _loved_ her –"

"Yeah – I'm a bit surprised she said yes, though," said Lily, as a bus approached the stop. "Anyway, it's her business – we should congratulate them as soon as we meet them. Keep it nice and light, y'know?"

"I agree," said James as the bus came to a stop in front of them; they happily boarded it since it was going to downtown Birmingham and alighted after about twenty minutes; to his relief, James spotted the restaurant only a few feet from where they stood.

"There it is," he said happily. "Well – shall we?" He extended his arm, and she giggled as she quickly slid her arm into his. "I like it when you act all – er, _gentlemanly_ ," she said, blushing slightly.

"Who says I'm acting?" James countered, winking at her as they entered the French restaurant. "Er – right," he said to the host, "There should be a reservation under – what's his name now, Dustly?" he asked Lily, who shrugged. "I forgot Vernon's surname," she said, frowning, but the host's brow cleared at once. "Oh, you mean you're with Mr _Dursley_ ," he said, "Mr Dursley's a regular of ours… Please, come with me." He led them to a booth towards a cosy, comfortable corner of the restaurant where Vernon and Petunia sat. "This'll be fun," James whispered to Lily, who smirked and gave him a little nod that made him feel heartened at once. It appeared as if she was going to enjoy making fun of Vernon as much as he was…

"Good evening," said James politely as Lily slid into the booth. He sat down in front of Vernon, who frowned. "You're late," he said coldly. "When I say seven, I mean seven."

"Sorry," said James at once, suppressing a stab of irritation; he didn't want to open hostilities this early. Tactfully, Lily chose that moment to say, "Mum told us – congratulations!"

"Thank you," said Petunia softly, while Vernon just nodded. A waiter brought water for them all, and James surveyed the menu card with interest; he'd been to France before, and he'd developed a particular fondness towards a relatively simple hors d'oeuvre: cheddar gougères, which were quite popular around the time of New Year's. He decided to order that, and Lily agreed to share it with him; he looked up to see Vernon and Petunia in deep conversation before coming to a decision. "We're going with the chicken – _au gratin_ ," said Vernon pompously, just as their waiter returned. Vernon and James gave their respective orders, and the waiter walked away with the promise of their appetisers arriving within ten minutes. "Coming to a French restaurant and not having anything _au gratin_ – it's sort of waste, really," said Vernon, his voice carrying a note of disdain. "Defeats the purpose of French cuisine, doesn't it?"

"Well – we could always order our main course dish as _au gratin_ ," said James lightly. Was it just his imagination, or was Vernon being more irritating than usual?

As if on cue, Vernon leaned forward. "Petunia told me about the two of you," he whispered. "Yes, that's right… I know all about your – ah, _freakishness_. Yes indeed," he added, wrinkling his nose, oblivious to the shock on their faces. " _Magic_ , is it? How d'you know magic, eh?" His eyes were narrowed as he surveyed James, who was lost for words – he wasn't quite sure what the Statue of Secrecy said about involving yet-to-become immediate family into the secret existence of the Wizarding world. Luckily, Lily took over, saying, "It's something one is born with." Her tone was smug, and James didn't miss the glance she gave Petunia, who went scarlet. "And yes, I'm a witch," she added softly, smirking as Vernon and Petunia both flinched. "Oh, c'mon – it's not like I'm dangerous, am I?" she added, rolling her eyes.

 _Wow, she's taking this a lot better than I am_ , thought James, as he stared uncertainly from Lily to Vernon and Petunia. _Doesn't she know about the Statue of Secrecy?_ Not wanting to mention that just yet, he said instead, "And just to add to that – I'm a wizard, too." He narrowed his eyes slightly as Vernon and Petunia turned their distasteful faces towards him. Really, what was their problem?

"So – all that talk of internship opportunities at Grunnings, that was all tommy-rot, wasn't it?" Vernon said, his voice laced with anger. James noted with slight amusement that a vein was pulsing in his temple, but he wanted to keep the peace for as long as possible; he said with an embarrassed smile, "Er – c'mon, Vern – just my little joke –"

" _Don't_ –" snapped Vernon, "—call – me – _Vern_."

"OK, OK, calm down," said James, holding up his hands. "C'mon, mate – I was only kidding…"

"Yeah, James likes to joke – during our early years at school, he always drove me up the wall," Lily added, plastering a smile on her face that didn't reach her emerald-green eyes, which continued to stare coldly at Vernon. James understood at once that she, too, was trying to keep the peace, and he appreciated her effort. _It's great how she can tell what's going on in my head_ , he thought cheerfully.

"I can't even imagine that," said Petunia, scoffing.

"Oh – and why not?" asked Lily pleasantly, but there was an edge to her voice – always a danger sign.

"Well – for one thing, that sounds so – er, _normal_ ," said Petunia, shrugging as she spoke; however, there was no mistaking her derisive tone.

"Contrary to what you think, Tuney – us witches and wizards aren't really that different from you," said Lily, narrowing her eyes. "We're human too, see?"

"Yeah – we just think and act differently," chimed in James. "For instance – all the substitutes you have, like electricity, and machines – we don't have any of those, 'coz we've never needed them –"

"Oh – so you freaks think you're better than us, do you?" Vernon cut in, his tone laced with anger.

"Watch who you're calling freak," James snapped. "Just because we're a little different –"

"A _little?_ " interrupted Vernon incredulously. "You just said you don't need machines!"

"What I _meant_ –" said James forcefully, "—is that we do things differently. That said, it's great to learn about all these things," he added, attempting to cool things down a bit, for he noticed Lily glaring daggers at Vernon. "For instance – in the Wizarding world, especially at Hogwarts… We still use flaming torches to light rooms up, instead of electric bulbs. Plus – we don't even use pens and notebooks to write, see? We use quills and parchment. It's things like these that make me feel that the Wizarding world is advanced in some ways, but quite backward in others."

There was a silence as Vernon and Petunia drank this in, following which Vernon said, "Right – I see. Never learned to use pens, did you?" He laughed as if making a joke, but the scorn in his voice was evident.

"Nah – never had great minds like yours teaching us, see?" James quipped, sure that Vernon wouldn't understand the slight… He didn't, but Lily and Petunia did; the former chuckled, but the latter frowned. Luckily, their appetisers arrived just then, and they spent the next few minutes eating in silence and scanning the menu cards to decide their main course.

"How about simple baked potatoes – _au gratin?_ " Lily asked James. "And we could have crepes for dessert – what d'you think?"

"I have no problem with the baked potatoes – but how about croquembouche instead for dessert?" suggested James. Lily nodded in agreement, and Vernon said, "Wise choice… Crepes are just too commonplace."

"Oh, I dunno," said James as he placed his and Lily's order with the waiter, "I like crepes – but this seems to be a fancy place, so I figured, why not have something fancy, see?"

"Yeah – and the fact that I'm paying, means you can essentially order what you like," said Vernon, laughing a little mockingly.

"Hang on," said James, wrinkling his forehead, "Who said anything about _you_ paying? I thought we were all paying for ourselves!"

"Ooh, and you wouldn't pay for your lady?" Vernon said smugly. "Not very gentlemanly, is it?"

"Obviously I'm paying for Lily, Vernon," said James, bristling. "Contrary to what you think, I was taught chivalry right from a young age." Lily squeezed his hand under the table as he glared at Vernon, who continued to smile scornfully. "Oh, c'mon," he said, "I'm kidding, obviously… Couldn't you tell?"

"Doesn't seem like you did a good job, then, does it?" James snapped before he could stop himself.

"Now, now," said Vernon, waggling his finger at James, evidently pleased at how he'd gotten under his skin. "If you can't take a joke, you shouldn't be making them, either…"

James set his lips in a thin line, but bit back a retort. Lily was still squeezing his hand, and that calmed him down more than anything else… "Anyway," he said, attempting to smile, "The point – you pay for your better half, and I'll pay for mine."

"You don't need to do that –" started Lily, but Vernon snorted. "Oh, c'mon," he said dismissively, "I'm the one who's paying, since I'm the only one here who has a job! Although – that may soon change… Petunia here might get an offer soon enough!" He gazed fondly at Petunia, who blushed as she smiled at him. "They liked my work, they said," she supplied to Lily and James. "They said they'll let me know in January – ah, well, fingers crossed!"

"That's – great!" said James, just as Lily said, "Wow – congratulations!"

"Thank you," said Petunia, looking almost cheerful. "She's a hard worker, she is," said Vernon, giving her another affectionate glance, "Does the work of two people – don't you, Petunia?"

"Er – I wouldn't know about that," said Petunia, blushing slightly, "Besides – you're exaggerating…"

"I don't exaggerate," said Vernon decisively. "I tell it like it is."

This rather sweet and sappy display was most uncharacteristic from someone like Vernon, and James longed to burst into laughter. Beside him, Lily watched the other couple tenderly, and James – after following her gaze – understood. Despite his faults, Vernon did seem to really, _really_ like Petunia… _Hmm, perhaps I should stop wondering what they see in each other_ , he thought sagely. After all, if they were in love, who was he to say anything?

Their food arrived just then, and James and Lily began to eat hungrily. "Mmm, this is _so_ good," said Lily, with a satisfied sigh. James only nodded, his mouth full of food; Lily was right, it was delicious. Looks like Vernon knows his restaurants, he thought with grudging admiration.

"You lot – we're at a fancy place, _behave!_ " Petunia hissed at them, her expression distasteful. James noticed how she'd cut her food into neat little pieces; Vernon's plate was identical, and he too was smiling derisively at them. "Don't they teach basic table manners in your world?" he asked with relish.

His mouth too full to argue, James ignored him and concentrated instead on his food. Beside him, Lily did the same, and it was only when she'd finished eating the main course that she looked up and said, "Well – we like our food, Vernon. I hardly think that has anything to do with the Wizarding world."

"Keep your voice down," pleaded Petunia.

"No one's going to hear," said James, shaking his head. "Lily's speaking quite softly, but if you don't want anyone to eavesdrop, just say the word – and we'll work our magic, quite literally." He grinned.

"We're having none of that, thank you," said Vernon huffily. "There's no need to showcase your _abnormalities_ here in public –"

"It's _not_ an abnormality," said James, glaring at Vernon. "It's a part of who I am."

"And _me_ , too," said Lily staunchly, also glaring at Vernon. There was an awkward silence, following which Vernon said, "I'm only saying – it's not normal –"

"Well, not having magic isn't normal for us," said James curtly as the waiter took their empty plates away. He was starting to feel tired of Vernon and Petunia's attitude towards them and magic in general… As an afterthought, he added, "And don't worry about the bill, Vernon – I'm paying for Lily and myself." He couldn't _bear_ to accept a meal from someone who treated him – and Lily in particular – with so much contempt.

"Don't be ridiculous – I'm the only one here who has a steady job," repeated Vernon dismissively. "I suppose that if your lot is as technologically backward as you say – not even using pens, for Pete's sake – then you must be living on some sort of unemployment benefit!"

"For your information – there are lots of jobs in the Wizarding world," said James sharply, as the waiter brought their dessert. _No – I won't lose my temper_ , he thought firmly as Lily squeezed his hand under the table again; he satisfied himself by stabbing his croquembouche with his fork harder than he'd intended. "We don't need to live on – what's the term? Oh, yeah… Unemployment benefit…"

"Is that so?" said Vernon patronisingly. "Tell me, then – d'you have a car? You're old enough to drive, aren't you?"

"We're both almost eighteen," Lily said quickly, glaring at Vernon. James understood at once; of course, he knew what a car was, but Lily had correctly guessed that he didn't know the minimum age one had to be to actually drive one. Thanking her mentally and admiring her subtlety, he said, "Yes, I'm old enough to drive a car."

"I own a Ford Cortina 2000E – it's the ultimate Ford Cortina, see?" said Vernon smugly. "It's the perfect utility vehicle – fast as a sports car, but a five-seater… I tell you, there isn't a finer car anywhere. What car d'you drive, James?" he added with a condescending smile.

"We don't drive in the Wizarding world," said James softly, choosing to disregard the fact that the Ministry of Magic had a collection of cars (in order to blend in with the Muggle world). He didn't bother hiding the irritation in his voice; his patience with Vernon's boastful attitude was wearing dangerously thin, and he longed to get away from there. Contrary to spending the meal having fun at Vernon's expense, he'd been exposed to the prejudices Muggles surely held against the Wizarding world, and he hated it.

"Is that so?" said Vernon, raising his eyebrows mockingly, and James quickly focused on him. "Funny, I don't see any magic carpets – how d'you folk get around, then?"

"Fine," said James, relenting, "Our Ministry has a set of cars, but the bulk of the magical community doesn't drive. The closest thing we have to a car is – a _broomstick_." He smiled as he thought of the feeling of freedom that flying never failed to give him. "I own – a Nimbus Seventeen-Fifty. It's the quickest broomstick in the world – even the England National Quidditch Team uses those."

"What's Quidditch?" Vernon asked curiously.

"It's the best game in the world – most popular sport in the magical community," said James promptly.

"It's quite good," Lily put in. "Personally, I was afraid to fly on broomsticks – but they teach it at Hogwarts. Now – I'm slowly growing to like it… Someone special had a lot to do with that, see?" she added, giving James a fond glance, which he returned with a dazzling smile of his own.

"Funny way to get around, broomsticks," said Vernon, breaking into James and Lily's moment. "I don't even believe the load of old tosh you just spouted regarding your make-believe sport –" James frowned, "—but answer me this. Why d'you lot use broomsticks, eh? What happened to good old-fashioned magic carpets?"

"They're more popular in Asia and the Middle East," explained James, ignoring the slight on Quidditch with difficulty. "They're not exactly widespread in Britain – more of a luxury item, see?"

"Preposterous," said Vernon, shaking his head. "Not a lot of jobs, broomsticks instead of carpets, no cars, either – tell me, how d'you expect me to believe that your lot doesn't live on the unemployment benefit that our government provides?"

"Vernon," Petunia said warningly, but something inside of James snapped. He was fiercely proud of his Wizarding heritage – the culture, the way of life, the sports – essentially, everything associated with magic. He made his decision then and there to put the arrogant young man in front of him in his place.

"You see, Vernon," he began, smirking disdainfully, "Most Wizarding families are old – they've been around for a while. They're also very rich – filthy, stinking, _spoilt_ rich, in fact," he added, using synonyms for emphasis. "The Potters are one such family who have been around for more than a millennium. We have a mountain of gold stowed away in our bank – more gold than you'll ever see in your life." He smiled derisively as Vernon's face went red, and a vein began to pulse in his temple.

"What a load of rubbish," Vernon said at last, "You're putting me on."

"I can assure you that I'm not," replied James smoothly. "If I convert what we have into your money – it's roughly a hundred-and-twenty million pounds."

Everyone at the table gasped, including Lily; James had never mentioned the extent of his family's true wealth to her before, and he was sure that it was disconcerting to her. "A – a hundred-and-twenty million?" Petunia asked, her eyes wide.

"Give or take a million," said James, clearly enjoying himself.

"Rubbish," said Vernon again. "No one has that sort of money – except for the Queen!"

"Who knows, maybe I'm related," said James, winking at him. Lily slapped his hand lightly under the table. "He's joking," she said, and he nodded. "About the Queen, yes," he said, "About my fortune, not a chance."

"What balderdash," snapped Vernon. "You know, I've been nothing but nice to you both despite your – ah, _freakishness_ – but I didn't come here to be insulted and humiliated and made into a joke. We're leaving, Petunia." He stood up and threw a couple of fifty-pound notes on the table. "I'm not going to spend another minute putting up with his tall tales."

"One moment," said James coldly. There was a ringing in his ears he stood up, too; he didn't even remember the last time he was this livid – not even when he'd spoken harshly to Ashley Bond before their last Quidditch match… Facing Vernon squarely, he said, his voice shaking with suppressed rage, "One – the fact that you think you're doing us a favour by being nice to us despite us being magic – shows how petty and small-minded you are. Two, you were anything but nice to us – you called us freaks, insulted our taste in food, and patronised us. Three, we tried to show you that we're not all that different from you – but you insulted us again by basically calling us liars. You failed to treat us like people – with the respect we deserve, as fellow human beings." He drew in a deep breath, and continued contemptuously, "We don't need you to pay for us – we're perfectly capable of paying for ourselves. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if a discourteous and uncouth person like you paid for my meal." He removed his wallet from his pocket and placed a fifty-pound note on the table himself, taking care to show Vernon the fat wad of fifty-pound notes that was present in his wallet (he always carried a lot of Muggle money to ensure that he could make his way around the Muggle world without a problem). Vernon's piggy little eyes widened, and he quickly took one of his fifty-pound notes off the table; James was sure that his pride prevented him from taking all his money.

"You're a very rude young man," said Vernon softly, but his voice was full of menace. It was clear that the he didn't want to make a scene so publicly; since he'd just asked for Petunia's hand in marriage, he obviously wanted to stay in her parents' good books for the foreseeable future. James watched his face with savage satisfaction as it slowly turned purple; however, Vernon faced Lily and said, "Don't get me wrong, Lily, I think you're a fine young woman like your sister here – it's good that you had a role model like her. But I don't think much of your taste in men – this fellow here is clearly good-for-nothing wastrel." He gave James a disdainful glance. "Goodbye," he added, and before anyone could say anything, he turned his heel and began to walk away, ramrod-straight.

Petunia now faced them both squarely. "You just insulted that wonderful man – who also happens to be my fiancé," she said, her voice quivering with anger. "You _humiliated_ him – especially after he'd been gracious enough to have dinner with you, to try to get to know you both… And you treat him like this! Shame on you – is this how your parents have raised you to behave?" she added to James, and without waiting for an answer, stalked away furiously.

James quickly glanced at Lily to see how she was taking her sister's cruel words, and sure enough, her nose was red, and her lip was quivering. "C'mon – let's go," he said urgently, and they grabbed their jumpers and almost ran out of the restaurant, only pausing to thank the host on the way and telling him to keep the change. Once outside, James grabbed Lily's hand and quickly led her into a deserted alleyway; giving her a reassuring smile, he turned once on the spot, and Disapparated.

They materialized in a deserted park, and Lily looked around in confusion. "It's a Muggle park close to my house," supplied James. "We're in Godric's Hollow…"

Lily nodded once, and James made a beeline towards the nearest bench. He quickly cast a Warming Charm around them and motioned for her to sit down; she obeyed, and he sat down next to her. Her put a comforting arm around her shoulders as she burst into tears – tears she'd obviously been holding back. He kissed her forehead and held her close, rubbing his hand on her back soothingly. "I'm sorry," he said contritely, "I really, really am… I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, that one's on me. I'm going to make things right between me and them – I promise."

She hiccoughed once, and he took that as an acknowledgement. "I'm sorry," he said again, and continued holding her until her sobs subsided into sniffles. They remained seated until she regained her composure and drew back.

"Look, you don't have to apologise, and you don't have to go out of your way to make things right," she said, a little thickly. "It's time I started to see the kind of person Petunia really is – a self-absorbed, narrow-minded, stuck-up excuse for a human being that I have the misfortune of calling my sister." The viciousness in her tone surprised James; where was it coming from? Lily was one of the kindest and gentlest people he knew… Was this years and years of the unkindness shown by Petunia towards Lily finally coming to a head?

"I should've seen this a long time ago, but I harboured hopes of reconciling with her one day," Lily continued. "But tonight – I finally saw her for who she was – just like how I saw Snape for who he was, that day he called me a Mudblood."

"Sssshhhh," said James softly, not wanting to revisit _that_ particular memory, but Lily wasn't in the mood to stop. "It's my own fault – I keep giving people several chances, and it just comes to bite me in the a –"

"Everyone deserves a second chance," interrupted James delicately. Lily snorted. "I know – but after three million chances, I reserve the right to not give them any more," she said harshly.

"That's fair," conceded James, and Lily nodded. "And Vernon," she said disdainfully, "The less I say about him, the better. Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't have lost your temper – but he had it coming to him. To be honest, if you hadn't said all that stuff to him – I probably would've."

"It's good I said it, then," said James, with a little chuckle. "I only hope that the other Muggles didn't hear us talking about magic –"

"I took care of that," said Lily. "The moment he said 'freakishness' for the first time, I cast a non-verbal Muffliato Charm – no one else heard our conversation, I can guarantee it."

"Quick thinking," said James appreciatively, but she only shrugged before resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm just fed up, James," she said softly, her voice sounding tired and resigned. "I'm fed up of being a misfit…"

"What?" asked James in confusion. Whatever did she mean?

"I'm tired of not fitting in anywhere," she said. She looked right at him, and he could see the fire in her green eyes. "In the Muggle world – there will always be people like Vernon, who detest magic. For Heaven's sake – we learnt about all that in History of Magic! Muggles have been persecuting and hunting down witches and wizards for years!"

"That's all ancient history," said James dismissively, but Lily shook her head. "Still – the sentiment behind those actions was born out of fear and hatred of someone different," she said, her eyes narrowed. "And for someone like me – the Muggle world was where I was raised, and me being born a witch means that I can't really call it my own."

She paused, and James sensed that he shouldn't interrupt. He motioned for her to continue, and she obliged. "On the other hand – look at the Wizarding world. I will always be looked down upon, called names, and be considered second-class."

"That's not true," said James forcefully, but she snorted – a derisive, disdainful sound that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Speak for yourself – most witches and wizards are still prejudiced against people like me. D'you have any idea how hard it's going to be for me to find a job?"

"Why?" James asked, frowning. "You're frightfully clever, and you'll be an asset wherever you work!"

"I'm not so sure about that," said Lily, shaking her head. "I may get a job, yes – but I probably won't be able to get as far as I'd have gotten if I were a pureblood. My abilities will always be doubted due to my birth, and it's not something I think I can live with." She sighed and looked away. "I'm just so _tired_ – of not fitting in, neither here, nor there."

James put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "You're not a misfit," he said firmly. "You're amongst the best people I know – and you have abilities that far surpass any pureblood wizard or witch of your age. Sometimes I think you'll even beat _me_ in a duel."

"You _think?_ " she responded dryly, a ghost of a smile on her face. He grinned back at her.

"Irrelevant," he said. "My _point_ , though – you're magic, and that's good enough for most of the Wizarding world… Or the bit that's worth considering, anyway," he added. "Look –" he looked right into her eyes, "—you're no misfit, OK? I'm serious."

"I thought you were James," she responded dryly, and he laughed in disbelief. "Never thought you'd be the one making that joke!" he exclaimed.

"I've spent too much time with you all," she replied, smiling back at him.

"Anyway," he said, "Like I said, you're no misfit. Let me put it this way – at this stage in your life, what's the thing you want to achieve most? Erudition, wealth, stability, safety, equality – what makes the cut?"

Lily thought for a moment. "Safety," she said decisively. "I want to feel safe in my own home – safe from persecution by wizards, and to a lesser extent, Muggles."

"Right," said James, nodding, "And are you doing something to achieve your main objective?"

Lily frowned before answering, "I guess – I mean, I am training to join the Order of the Phoenix, aren't I?"

"Precisely," said James triumphantly. "You see, Lil – you've found your calling. If safety is your first objective, you're already in the process of attaining it – not only are you learning to defend yourself against unfriendly people effectively, but you're also learning to attack them and drive them away to protect the ones dear to you."

Lily remained silent as James continued passionately, "Don't you see? If safety is your life's purpose right now, you're more ahead than you were at the start of the year! I'm guessing that once we win this war against Voldemort – yes, we're _going_ to win it –" he added forcefully, "—you can follow your other goals. Oh, and this doesn't mean you can't work at the Department of Magical Research – 'course you can, no doubt! As long as you're working towards your goal, whatever works, right?"

There was another silence as Lily mulled over this. Finally, she said, "A lot of that makes sense, James. You're absolutely right – if I want to make the world a better place, I have already found my calling. I just didn't realise it…" She looked as though she'd had a sudden epiphany.

"I know," said James simply, giving her a gentle, delicate smile. "And don't you worry about working to support yourself – I have enough gold for twenty generations to live a luxurious life without needing to earn a single Knut."

"Thanks, but – that's not really a worry right now," said Lily, grinning at him. "You just showed me – again, I may add – that _despite_ being a Muggleborn, I still have a place in the Wizarding world, and for me, that's all that matters." The fire in her eyes burned stronger than ever, and before James could make a move, she'd pulled him in for a passionate kiss… He enjoyed the familiar, exhilarating feeling as his tongue found hers, and he wrapped his arms around her body… He felt her breasts push against his chest, and he tightened his embrace as he kissed her more urgently… God, he loved this girl so much!

A few minutes (or days?) later, they broke apart. Lily was blushing, but there was a new emotion in her eyes that James had last seen when he'd been lying in the Hospital Wing after Madam Pomfrey had cured him from the effects of that horrible Curse last year… It was a longing, a primitive, yearning sort of thirst – and he understood. In that moment, she _wanted_ him, and – yep, he wanted her, too…

James stood up abruptly. Tempting as the prospect was, he didn't want to succumb to it – now wasn't the time, really. "C'mon – let me take you home," he said quickly. "You should tell your Mum what you really think of Vernon, and what really happened, before Petunia gets a chance to do so…"

"Yes," said Lily, flustered. She stood up, too, and James could see that her face was as red as her hair… Obviously, she'd realised that in that moment, they both wanted each other in a way they'd never experienced before, and to her credit, _she_ was trying not to give in, either… "Right – let's go… I'll Apparate us," she added, and took his hand; the electric jolt of her touch was almost too much, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as they Disapparated.

They materialised at their usual hidden spot, and James gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. "See you tomorrow?" he said, and she nodded. "See you!" she exclaimed, and gave him a little wave as he turned around on the spot and Disapparated again.

"Mum – I'm home!" he hollered as soon as he entered the living room. Not wanting to go into detail about his unpleasant evening, he quickly kissed his Mum on the cheeks before going off to take a hot bath… But as he snuggled into bed that night, he couldn't help but wonder how it would've felt to consummate his relationship with Lily Evans. He shook his head and tried to put it out of his mind for the time being… The right moment would come, and he'd know when it did.

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 **Author's Note:** This is my longest chapter till date. I considered splitting it into two, but ultimately decided no to – it just feels more complete this way. More to come!


	27. Chapter 27

Thanks for the reviews, translucent steeds, Nupurlath, Anna. Cheers!

 **translucent steeds:** Thank you, I hope you continue to read! To answer your question, I tried to base my number off of the typical amount of money required for about fifteen generations to live life comfortably, but I suppose I didn't take a lavish lifestyle into account. No, I certainly don't mean billion instead of million, though your calculations are immensely helpful – I plan to change James's family fortune being about a billion pounds (present-day 6 billion pounds?). Thanks for the note!

 **Nupurlath:** Thanks! I think JKR has already shown that Vernon and Petunia are very much in love, and I tried to show the same things. Vernon, whatever his faults, genuinely seems to care about Petunia and respect her opinions, so I tried to showcase it through his behaviour towards her.

 **Anna:** Haha, good to know! And no, Lily doesn't know about their Animagus forms – yet. More on that later! And I'm glad you liked my Vernon and Petunia!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-seven. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

" **What will come, will come, and you'll have me right by your side when we face it – together."**

"So – is this visit to Birmingham supposed to erase memories of our – er, previous one?" James asked dryly as he and Lily walked hand-in-hand behind a long queue of people outside a brilliantly floodlit Villa Park football stadium. It was the day before New Year's Eve, and James and Lily had made the trip to Birmingham to attend an English Football League match between the Aston Villa and Birmingham City Football Clubs; Lily's cousin Matt would be playing, and she was excited that she'd finally be seeing him in live action.

"Perhaps," she said mischievously. "I'd spoken to Matt last week before he went on holiday, see? He said he wanted to meet us both – and I'd agreed, I thought it would be a good idea for you two to get to know each other. Our last trip to Birmingham was so disastrous, though, that I almost backed out – but Matt twisted my arm and reminded me of my promise, and I had to honour it." She shook her head, chuckling slightly.

"More of your family vetting me, is it?" said James, smirking as he handed their tickets to the man at the stadium entrance; he waved them through almost immediately, and they made their way towards the middle of the stands. "Something like that," said Lily, giving him a little wink as she led the way towards their seats. She'd spoken to Matt before he'd gone on holiday, and he'd told her about a girl with whom he'd been going out for a few months… He'd asked her if she was seeing anyone, and her pause had been just long enough for him to realise that she was (she'd mentally kicked herself for giving herself away so easily). Matt had insisted on meeting James, even suggesting a double date with himself and his girlfriend, and she'd given in…

She cast a quick, embarrassed glance in James's direction. She'd completely forgotten to mention it to him until that very morning, and to her relief, he'd taken the short notice in good spirit. _I'm sure that going to a football game had played a substantial role in him agreeing to the double date so quickly_ , she thought wryly, giving him an affectionate glance…

"Well – hopefully this double date goes better than our last one," said James, grinning as he sat down in a seat halfway up the stands. "Wow, these seats are smashing – what a view!" he added, and Lily sat down next to him. Her gaze went from one goal to the other at the opposite end of the pitch; James was right, they had some of the best seats in the stadium. _Thank you, Matt_ , she thought gratefully as she said aloud to James, "To be fair, _anything_ is better than our last double date…"

He laughed. "You know that's right," he declared, before gazing around appreciatively. "My, the Muggles do themselves well, don't they?" he whispered. "I've been to several Quidditch stadiums – but this truly is something else!"

"Muggle culture isn't too shabby, is it?" Lily whispered back with a proud sort of smile. She was feeling a lot better about being a Muggleborn after her discussion with James a few nights ago… As he'd put it, she'd found her life's purpose, and until the war ended, that would be her primary focus. But having spent the better part of her life in the Muggle world, it never failed to please or amuse her when witches and wizards expressed wonder at something remarkably commonplace, such as this beautiful football stadium – for there were several like it across Britain.

In a few minutes, both teams were announced over the loudspeaker (she laughed and shook her head when James asked her the loudspeakers had a Sonorous Charm on them), and she cheered loudly when Matt's name came up. "Look, there he is!" she exclaimed, pointing excitedly at one of the players with the number '19' on his back. "You show 'em, Matt!"

"How d'you know that's him?" James asked curiously.

She laughed. "Well, football players usually have numbers on the back of their jerseys – just like Quidditch, see?" she explained. "The players who start the match wear numbers from 1-11, while the substitutes wear higher numbers. The number represents the player's position – the goalkeeper wears the number '1', the defenders go from '2-5', and so on." Matt had given her a lesson on squad numbers a few months ago, and she felt proud of her retention abilities. "Now – Matt's a striker," she continued, "So, he should ideally wear the number '9'. But – he's still a young player, only nineteen years old – incidentally, that's why he wears the number '19'. Aston Villa's first choice striker was injured a few weeks ago – that's why Matt's been starting in his place, see?"

"Right," said James, nodding. "But – is he the only backup striker? Bit young for that, isn't he?"

"Oh, they have another striker," said Lily, grinning widely. "But – Matt's been keeping him out of the starting team through his performances." She felt proud of her cousin as she said that; indeed, how many nineteen-year-olds were guaranteed starters for a big football club such as Aston Villa?

"Impressive," said James, nodding. "Well – let's hope we get to see why he's so good!"

"Yep – especially in this match," said Lily fervently. "Aston Villa and Birmingham City are big rivals – they're both Birmingham teams, see? The match is called the Second City Derby, and both teams usually try to outdo each other on the pitch."

"Sort of like us and Slytherin," said James, grinning.

"Precisely," said Lily, smiling back at him, just as the referee blew his whistle to indicate kick-off. "Come on, Matt!" she yelled enthusiastically, drawing little smirk from James; she elbowed him gently, and he laughed before turning his attention to the match.

Lily had a wonderful time that evening; Matt was excellent throughout, and he was always in the thick of the action. She was sure that his well-built, six-foot-two frame was a huge advantage – he wasn't allowing the opposing defenders to gain an edge over him, constantly giving them a torrid time instead. The highlight of the match came when he scored Aston Villa's first goal just before half-time, a breathtaking shot taken several yards away from the goal. She jumped up and down in ecstasy and shouted herself hoarse, much to James's amusement; but it wasn't every day that one's first cousin got a rousing applause from a roaring forty-thousand-strong crowd, was it?

Aston Villa, no doubt buoyed by Matt's goal, kept up their intensity much throughout the second half; Matt even managed to assist their second goal before being substituted at 85 minutes, walking off the pitch to a standing ovation. He'd been the best player on the pitch by a mile, and Lily felt extremely proud – Matt was a total prodigy! "He was incredible," said James admiringly as Matt made his way off the pitch, "Really – if England has a football team, he should be in it!"

"'If'?" mimicked Lily, shaking her head. "Sometimes I forget how little you know about the Muggle world! Football is one of England's most popular sports," she added quickly as he opened his mouth to protest, "We won the World Cup a decade ago – that boosted its popularity to unprecedented levels, see?"

"I can imagine," he said, nodding. "Winning the World Cup is a big deal, just like Quidditch, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Lily, nodded fervently. "Matt says it's what made him want to be a professional footballer – playing for England is his dream. It was only a dream a few years ago," she added, grinning widely, "But with performances like these, it could well become a reality sooner rather than later!"

"I second that," said James, smiling back at her. "I'm going to make it a point to tell him that when we meet him later tonight!"

"He'll love that," she agreed. "Well – the match is almost over, d'you want to go and wait near the exit before the mad rush?"

"Good thinking," he said, and the pair of them stood up as three minutes of injury time were announced, with Aston Villa leading two-nil quite comfortably. They made their way out of the stadium and sat down on a bench just opposite the exit to wait for Matt and his girlfriend.

"I must say, Lil – it was mighty grand to see you and my Mum get along so well this afternoon," said James cheerfully. Lily grinned. "Well – it's not like we didn't before, did we?" she pointed out mischievously, and he shook his head. "You know what I mean," he said, and she nodded gently before taking his hand and squeezing it. "I do," she affirmed. "I _told_ you – there was no need for you – _you_ , of all people – to be nervous. Idiot," she added, smirking, and he rolled his eyes before planting a quick kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush…

James's parents had invited Lily to stay at Potter Mansion over New Year's, in order to 'get to know' her better. James had been enthusiastic about the idea, and Lily's parents had had no problem with that whatsoever (that had surprised her, but she'd wisely chosen to accept it without any further questions). It was only after she'd carefully prepared him for his meeting with her parents that he'd become a little nervous; he'd openly confessed to her that he didn't have a clue what his parents would ask her that they didn't know already, and that he was largely taking things as they went. She'd laughed before reassuring him that she knew how to handle situations like these, and that his parents knew her… "But this is different, this time you're meeting them as my girlfriend!" he'd said, a little fretfully, making her laugh. "I know – but trust me, OK? I've got this," she'd reassured him, and he'd calmed down after that.

She'd arrived at Potter Mansion that very morning, and had been promptly shown the ballroom – James had apologised for forgetting to show it to her before, and it was a colossal room with a high ceiling and a French window. She'd barely had time to admire it before being called by Mrs Potter, who made small talk with her before they'd joined Mr Potter and James for lunch. The lunch meeting with James's parents – a somewhat formal one, as she was going out with their son now – had gone smoothly, and Lily had been secretly relieved. Her sleeping arrangements had been made in one of the Potters' guest rooms, and she'd spent the afternoon teasing and ribbing James, with his parents supporting her wholeheartedly, much to her amusement…

A few minutes later, Matt stepped out of the stadium exit with a pretty, petite brunette hurrying alongside him. "Blimey, slow down, Matt," she said, just as they came up to Lily and James, "Not all of us are six feet tall!"

Matt grinned. "Six-two," he corrected, giving her a little wink as she rolled her eyes. Turning to Lily, his grin grew wider; engulfing her into a bone-crushing hug, he said, "I'm so glad you came, Lil – thanks!"

"Idiot," said Lily, lightly smacking him on the head as she drew back. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world – especially with tickets as good as those," she added, smirking slightly. Matt grinned and said, "Families of players get mad discounts." Turning to James (who had been standing silently with a smile on his face) he said, "So – you're James? I'm Matt – nice to meet you." He gave James a firm handshake, and James echoed him. Turning to the brunette next to him, Matt said, "Lily, James – my girlfriend, Alison."

"Call me Ali," said Alison, smiling as she shook hands with Lily and James. "I feel like I know you quite well, Lily – Matt's told me a lot about you!"

"Good things, I hope," said Lily dryly, and they all laughed. "You never know," said Ali, a mischievous twinkle in her eye… Lily smiled; she liked the other girl already.

"Great game, Matt," said James fervently. "The way you held your own against those big blokes – it was pretty amazing!"

"It wasn't really that great," said Matt modestly. "I mean, there were several things I feel I could've done differently… For instance, when Calderwood –"

Ali cleared her throat pointedly, and Matt stopped talking; a sheepish grin appeared over his face as Ali said, "He has this habit of analysing every move in _excruciating_ detail after the match!" She shook her head, and Lily grinned. "Sounds like someone I know," she said, with a sideways glance at James, who chuckled.

"Oh, you play too?" said Matt, raising his eyebrows. "Lily, you didn't tell me your boyfriend played football!" he added to her, his tone making it clear that it was a big letdown. Lily smiled and said, "What, and miss this moment?"

Ali and James laughed, and James said, "To answer your question, Matt – yeah, I do play, but not as much as you. I'm a Ch – ah, _striker_ , too, and I'm Captain of my House team at school… It's been said that I have an eye for goal _so_ keen that –"

" _Who_ said that, exactly?" said Lily wickedly, and Ali and Matt laughed as James stuck his tongue out at her. "As much as I like this chit-chat," said Ali, "I'm hungry, and I'm sure you all are, too – it's nearly seven o'clock, isn't it? Shall we get something to eat?"

"Hear, hear," said James enthusiastically, and Matt grinned. "She only _looks_ tiny – but looks are often deceiving," he said, indicating his girlfriend. "I always say that food is her first love –"

"Funny," said Ali, rolling her eyes again, and Matt put an arm around her shoulders affectionately. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before hailing a taxi. "C'mon – I know this great place only about a mile from here," he said, and they all piled into the taxi with him sitting in the front. "Azim's restaurant, please," he said to the driver, before turning back to face them all. "It serves a curry called 'Balti' – it's essentially meat curry, mixed with several spices and served in a thin wok called a 'Balti bowl'," he explained to Lily and James. "It's usually served with rice – or flatbread, which is called 'naan'. This dish originated in the Indian subcontinent – it's very popular in northwestern India as well as Pakistan, see?"

"Sounds quite exotic," said James, intrigued. "I've never heard of this 'Balti' thing – what sort of meat goes into the curry?"

"Chicken, goat, lamb – they're the most common," said Matt, grinning. "The Indian subcontinent is known for its spicy and delicious food, and the 'Balti' is a popular savoury which is – for lack of a better word, _indigenous_ – to Birmingham, in the entirety of Britain, that is. It's sort of a speciality of the city, see?"

"Hmm, it certainly sounds delicious," said Lily, grinning. "Though to be fair, I'm quite hungry, too, and _anything_ sounds delicious when you're hungry…"

The others laughed, and Ali said, "Oh, I hear you, Lily!"

" _You_ would," said Matt wickedly, and received a little smack on the head from his girlfriend, as James and Lily laughed. _Matt seems to be really happy with her_ , she thought… "How long have the two of you been together?" she asked curiously.

"A year this Christmas," said Ali cheerfully. "Matt and I went to school together, see? We were good friends… He was quite firm on staying in Birmingham, though, and I got into Oxford University to study Mathematics. We found a way to stay in touch through letters and the odd telephone call – and then last Christmas, when I was home for the holidays, Matt asked me out for dinner." She smiled dreamily. "I was secretly hoping that he'd do that, for I'd liked him for years – and he figured it out, didn't you, Matt?" she added affectionately to him, and he smiled as the taxi came to a halt. "Damn right I did," he said proudly as he paid the driver, and the four of them alighted from the taxi and made their way into a small but bright outdoor restaurant.

"Here we are," said Matt, as they sat at a table. "I recommend the Chicken Balti with Rice, you lot – it's the best chicken I've ever had! Oh, and I'm quite sure you'll agree, once you taste it!" He beamed at them, and James laughed. "I'll be a smart boy and listen to you, then," he said, before looking at Lily enquiringly. "Ditto," she said, and Ali laughed. "A wise choice," she said approvingly, before gesturing to a waiter. Matt placed their order before turning to Lily and saying, "So, I take it the two of you met at St Andrew's?"

"Yep," said Lily quickly. She'd made up a wild story about the school she attended while talking to Matt a few days ago; she'd told him that she went to St Andrew's, a boarding school in northwestern Scotland. James had agreed to go along with the story, and she'd carefully instructed him on the subjects taught in Muggle schools, the sports that were played, and the overall culture – effectively transforming her far-fetched story into a more elaborate one.

"That's right," said James smoothly. "We're in the same House, and most of our classes are the same, too… We had a fair bit of friendly competition over the years, and scored neck-to-neck in most of our tests, which led to a bit of rivalry, I suppose –"

"Yes, that – plus in our early years, James was a little berk who used to be a downright pain in my neck," interrupted Lily impishly. Matt and Ali laughed as James said, "Or – that." There was a twinkle in his hazel eyes as he continued, "But – about a year and a half ago, Lily and I sorted out our differences, and became friends. We grew closer over the next year, and a few months ago, I asked her out on a date – which she accepted." He gave her an affectionate glance.

"You left out the part where you hounded me for a date for two years before we actually became friends," said Lily dryly, giving him a mischievous little wink. He shook his head in mock hurt as Matt and Ali laughed again, and Ali said, "Well – isn't that a cute story?"

" _Cute?_ " repeated James, making a face.

"Well – _charming_ ," amended Ali quickly. "Dear me, are you one of those blokes who prefer to be known as 'tough' or 'macho'?"

"Spot on, Ali," said Lily, laughing. "James _refuses_ to admit that he has a softer, gentler side that he hides under a 'tough', coconut-like exterior."

James opened his mouth to protest, but Matt cut across him instead. "C'mon, there's nothing wrong with that!"

"You would say that, you're exactly the same," said Ali, rolling her eyes. Matt looked the picture of sadness and despondence, and Ali quickly kissed him on the cheek. He brightened at once, and she shook her. "Drama queen," she said, chuckling. "King," corrected Matt as Lily and James joined in the laughter.

Their food arrived just then, and Matt showed him how to mix the curry properly with the rice. James and Lily did as he instructed, and Lily took a tentative little bite of her food – before digging in deeply and attacking it with a verve that rivalled James's; it was so delicious! No one said much for the next few minutes; they were all ravenous, and the odour of the hot, freshly made chicken curry was intoxicating…

"Wow, you were right, Matt – this is amazing!" exclaimed James; Lily noticed that he'd already finished a third of his rice within five minutes. "I have half a mind to ask these people for the recipe!"

"You cook?" Matt asked, raising his eyebrows. James laughed. "Nah – but Lily does, and I'm hoping she'd make this for me one day," he said, smirking at Lily with mock-sweetness. She rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, dream on, Potter."

"No, I second that," said Matt. "That way when you make this, Ali and I can join you both for dinner!"

"Mmm – that's an excellent idea," said Ali, giving Lily an impish smile. "Urgh – your expectations are too lofty… How 'bout I make some plum pudding instead?"

"That works too," said Matt and James together, and Lily shook her head. "You're a pair of idiots," she said, chuckling as she went back to her food. After Vernon, Petunia and their airs and graces, she was having a great time with Matt and Ali, in a more informal setting… Her gaze travelled to the other people in the restaurant. With an amused glance, she noted two teenage boys at the next table staring at Matt and whispering rather excitedly among themselves; they were both wearing Aston Villa jerseys. _My, Matt is something of a local celebrity_ , she thought, amused. _It'll be fun if those boys ask for his autograph…_

"So, James," said Matt, "Tell me about your football team… You said you're Captain?"

"Of the House team, yes," responded James. "I'm Vice-Captain of the school team, too…" he added as an afterthought, and went back to his food, but not before Lily had seen a momentary flash of anger in his hazel eyes. She sighed inwardly; she knew just _how_ much the lack of harmony in the Hogwarts team bothered him…

"You don't sound too thrilled about it," said Matt shrewdly, and James looked up in surprise. "Er – is it that obvious?" he asked, a little sheepishly.

"Yes," said Ali, much to Lily's surprise. "It was obvious to me, too… Problems in the school team?"

"Something like that," said James evasively. "The Captain's being immature and irresponsible – nah, leave it, I don't want to talk about it." He paused, then continued, "I don't want to bore you with the stupid politics at our school…"

"Oh, tell me about it," said Matt, nodding. "Politics is an unavoidable aspect of every sport, James… You can't fight it, so you have to embrace it in order to change things from within. Tell me what's on your mind," he prodded, "And maybe I can help you, 'coz I'd understand what you're talking about perfectly – one athlete to another."

James brightened. "Hmm, maybe you _can_ help," he said, "Considering that you're a third party with nothing to do with the matter at hand…"

"Precisely," said Matt, and Ali nodded attentively. "So – spill."

"Yes," said James. "So – at our school, there's another House with whom we have a rivalry that goes back – er, decades. The school Captain – er, _he's_ a striker from the other House, and our coach made me the Vice-Captain. To be honest, I was expecting that I'd be Captain, but I was made Head Boy instead."

"That's great!" said Matt, before turning to Lily. "Didn't you say you were Head Girl, Lily? I can sort of see how you two started going out," he added, winking at her. She blushed as she said, "Hmm, nothing like that… Anyway, go on, James." She could hardly believe that James was going to ask advice from _Matt_ , of all people – but she understood why. _It's like Matt said_ , she thought… _One athlete to another…_

"Right," said James, "There was some politics here, I thought – I know I'm a better player than the school Captain, but we'd lost the Inter-House Cup to them last year – on penalties, that too. It was really close." He paused; it was evident that the memory was still painful. "Anyway, after some more thought, I figured that it was a fair decision, making him Captain… He's good, no doubt about that, he did fine against another school team whom we beat with a thumping margin. Then – in this year's Inter-House Cup, we defeated them, but not before there were a few unsavoury incidents – some rash fouls and arguments, that is – between players from opposing Houses who also played for the school team."

"Unfortunate, but quite common," said Matt sympathetically. "I understand completely – go on."

"Yeah," said James, nodding. "Anyway, after that match, the Captain's attitude completely changed. He ignored me and the others from our House… Even in team practice sessions, we didn't speak much, we just went through the motions. And it was the day before an away match that I sort of, er, made my feelings clear about it…"

"He screamed at the Captain," supplied Lily, and James rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Lil," he said sarcastically, and she grinned. "What? It's not like Ashley didn't deserve it, but you could've held it in until after the match!"

"Ashley, eh?" said Matt, and Lily drew in a sharp breath; she nearly panicked, but remembered in time that Ashley was a gender-neutral name. "Yeah," she said instead, letting out a sigh of relief at how easily she'd almost given them away… _I'm shutting up for the rest of this conversation_ , she resolved.

"So, anyway – Ashley was furious when I told him things he obviously didn't want to hear," said James, bringing things back on track, much to Lily's relief. "Then he did something really immature – he threw the Captain's armband at me, and benched himself for the match, spouting some nonsense about how he wanted to see if I could do any better than him. His Housemates promptly benched themselves – they're loyal, I'll give them that – but unfortunately, they're good players, too, which left us with a crippled team for the next day."

"Ouch," said Matt, shaking his head. "That was rude of him – not to mention egotistical."

" _Exactly_ ," said James emphatically. "We played well the next day, and I led the team – we lost, but we played well. The coach gave us a talking-to after that, but Ashley is still ignoring me… And quite frankly, I'm fed up with his attitude. It's his responsibility as Captain to fix the disharmony in the team, and his inaction is driving me mad."

"An interesting problem indeed," said Matt. "Just a couple of questions before I tell you what I think is going on here – who has more experience as House Captain, you or him?"

"Me," said James promptly. "I've been Captain for longer."

"OK," said Matt. "And who has scored more goals in Inter-House matches, you or him?"

"Me, hands down," said James. "I've held the record for the most goals throughout the season for the past two years."

"Right," said Matt, with a gleam in his eyes. "That's all I need to know. Now – here's the thing, James. Ashley is probably threatened by you – and he's going the wrong way about handling it. Let me explain," he added, as James started to say something; James nodded for him to continue, and he said, "You're more prolific, more experienced, and probably a much better player than he will ever be. That makes you a threat to his captaincy, see? Plus, your House rivalry certainly doesn't help matters, and your House team beat his team the last time you played, too!"

"But I _don't_ want to be Captain!" exclaimed James. "I thought I did, but I've got enough on my plate already, and I'm actually quite happy to let someone else take the responsibility!"

"You need to tell _him_ that," said Matt firmly. "Sit down, have a conversation with him, and set things straight. Believe me when I say I know how you're feeling… The other person isn't going to come to you, their ego prevents that – but you should reach out to your Captain and settle your differences, for the good of the team."

 _Interesting_ , thought Lily. _Does Matt's personal experience have something to do with the other Aston Villa forward he's keeping out of the team?_ She decided to ask him later…

"Wow – when you put it that way, it makes a lot of sense," said James thoughtfully. "I suppose I was only focused on his attitude, and that drove me up the wall – but I didn't stop to analyse _why_ he's being like that, I just thought he was sore about losing. This is definitely plausible, though – thanks a lot, Matt, you've given me a handle on the problem!" he said sincerely. "At least now I can tackle it!"

"No problem," said Matt, grinning. "Happy to help!"

"Aren't you smart?" said Ali, giving him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Matt grinned. "You're the one who got into Oxford," he pointed out, chuckling.

"I agree with James, Matt," said Lily happily. "James was having a hard time with this issue, and I'll admit I didn't think Ashley was being threatened by James, since he was the one who made James Vice-Captain in the first place…"

"All the more reason," said Matt, shaking his head. "He didn't do that to kill James's Captain ambitions by making him happy – he did it because he knew that James is probably better than him, and he was thinking of the team then. But he's letting his own insecurity cloud his judgement now – which is why, it's more important than ever for you to take the first step, James."

"Duly noted," said James, grinning. "Thanks a lot, Matt!"

Their bill arrived just then, and though James insisted on paying, Matt was having none of it. "My treat," he said, waving James's money aside. "We're celebrating the fact that I helped my team win the Second City Derby…"

To Lily's amusement, the two teenage boys she'd spotted earlier did actually ask Matt for his autograph. He was happy to oblige, and told a slightly bewildered Lily and James that people recognised him and asked for his autograph all the time. "Fans are the most important part of any sport," he said. "Without fans, there's no point playing professional sport…"

"Yeah – plus most of your fans are girls," said Ali, rolling her eyes. Lily and James laughed as Matt gently kissed Ali's cheek. "Aww, c'mon, sweetie," he said gently, "You're the only fangirl I care about – 'coz you liked me even before I was famous!"

"Always know the right thing to say, don't you?" said Ali, attempting to sound irritable, but her wide grin gave her away. Matt grinned back at her as they all walked out of the restaurant after tipping the waiter generously. "Well – it was great meeting the two of you," said James. "I must say, you have excellent taste in food, Matt – incidentally, was that why you fell for him, Ali?" he added with a little chuckle.

Ali grinned back at him. "Maybe," she said, giving Mat a coy sort of glance. Matt laughed and said, "Well, it was mighty grand of you both to come all the way to watch me in action… Do come again sometime!"

"Certainly!" chorused Lily and James together. "I'd never been to a club football match before today, Matt – the atmosphere, it's something else, all right!" added Lily. "I agree," said James. "Well, Lily and I should get going now – the last bus to Cokeworth leaves in about half an hour, and I have to catch a train to Plymouth from there…"

"Long journey ahead of you, mate," said Matt sympathetically. He extended his hand, and James shook it. "It was wonderful meeting you, too – Lily's chosen a fine bloke for herself." James beamed. "Keep her happy," Matt added mock-threateningly, "Or you'll have me to answer to."

"I intend to," said James with a little chuckle, as Lily smiled with embarrassment. "And Matt – great performance tonight, mate. I really hope you make it to the England football team one day."

"Thank you, James," said Matt sincerely. He gave Lily another bone-crushing hug, and she was rather gratified when Ali hugged her, too. "You're exactly as Matt described you to be," she said. "No wonder he thinks the world of you!"

Lily only grinned, unable to formulate an appropriate response as she blushed even further. James shook hands with Ali, and Matt hailed a taxi for them. "Take care," he said, as the taxi arrived. "I'll see you during the summer holidays, Lily – and a Happy New Year in advance, too!"

"Right back at you!" said Lily, a little wistful to be parting so soon; it has been _such_ a wonderful evening… "Goodbye!" She and James climbed into the cab and asked the driver to take them to the Main Stand. They waved to Matt and Ali until the taxi turned a corner and they vanished from view.

"Well – that was great!" said James, beaming. "I liked Matt – seems like a genuinely nice bloke!"

"Oh, he is," said Lily fervently. "He used to be quite a terror during my childhood, though…" James laughed himself silly as she told him the story of the saucer turning into a crab, and wiped tears from his eyes before saying, "Well – I'd like to get to know him better, seems like he has a knack for pranks!"

"Urgh – I knew you were going to say that," said Lily, rolling her eyes as he laughed again. Then he grew a little serious as he said, "Well – honestly, this is how a double date should be. I'm willing to bet that Matt and his girlfriend were completely themselves with us – and aside from a few lies to, er, _Muggle-ise_ everything Hogwarts-related, I quite enjoyed myself. Matt gave me some great advice, too… It never occurred to me that Ashley would think her position is threatened! Really, doesn't she see that I've got enough on my plate already?"

"You did captain the team in her absence against Durmstrang," Lily pointed out, and he snorted. "C'mon – did I have a choice?"

"Not really," said Lily, nodding. "She sort of forced your hand – but Hogwarts did really well despite not being at full strength, and that's probably what makes her think you're a threat."

"Maybe," said James, thoughtfully. They arrived at their destination just then, and Lily paid the taxi driver. They found a secluded spot a few yards away, and Disapparated, arriving directly on the threshold of Potter Mansion. Mr and Mrs Potter were still having dinner, prompting Lily and James to sit with them and discuss their day and the next day's New Year's Eve party… Mrs Potter waved off Lily's offer to assist with the preparations with a smile, saying that Tippy had it under control, and that she and James should just go out and have fun the next day. James readily agreed, and Lily gave in with a little smile. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Y'know, James," said Lily as she cut a little piece of her chicken, "There's one thing I've been meaning to ask you about the Wizarding world."

"Just one?" James said, with a grin.

"For now," Lily shot back with a smirk, "But – I have a feeling it'll become ten – very soon." She gave him a mischievous wink.

They were at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, with plans to meet up with Black and Liz afterwards. Mrs Potter had essentially shooed them out of the house, to ensure that they stayed out of Tippy's way as he prepared the ballroom for the party (James was quite happy with the fact that he didn't have to assist). Lily planned to return at least three hours before the party in order to get ready; the party began at six, and she wanted to look her best…

"Fire away," said James, and she quickly focused on him. She liked how he always answered all her questions patiently, however obvious though they may be… Aloud, she said, "Well – how does the Wizarding tax system work? As in, is it similar to the Muggle world – income tax, sales tax, property tax, inheritance tax and the like?"

James looked nonplussed. "What d'you mean – _tax?_ " he asked. "What's a tax? I haven't come across that word in my Muggle Studies class –"

"' _What's a tax?_ '" mimicked Lily, astonished. "What d'you mean? Don't you pay taxes?"

"Er – I dunno what you're talking about," James replied, confusion apparent in his hazel eyes. "Care to explain?"

"Well," said Lily thoughtfully, "Let's see – a tax is a payment that must be made to the government to fund various public expenditures. For example – one pays tax if one buys or sells something… Be it a new car, a new house, even new clothes. Even the money one earns through their job – part of it goes to the government, which can use the money to fund public amenities and facilities, like the police force, hospitals, emergency services, construction of new roads, repairing and upgrading historical landmarks – you get the picture." She gave him an inquiring look.

"I understand," he said, nodding. "So – to build a parallel to the Wizarding world – there's the Ministry and all its employees, St Mungo's, and Hogwarts…" He gave her a triumphant look. "Reading between the lines, I think the question behind your question is, if there are no taxes, where does all the money required to run these institutions come from?"

"Took you long enough to catch on," said Lily dryly, and he stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed and tapped his hand lightly before saying, "Well, then – how does the Wizarding world economy work?"

James grinned. "Now _that's_ an intelligent question," he said with a twinkle in his hazel eyes. "And it could take some time to explain –"

"Oh, I've got all the time in the world to listen to you, James Potter," said Lily flirtatiously, smirking at the way James's face lit up; it never failed to amuse her how _much_ he enjoyed it when she flirted with him. "Go on, then," she added, her tone a little businesslike, "Explain…"

"Gladly," said James. "Well – there are none of these – ah, _'taxes'_ – so to say. The Ministry pays its employees, and runs Hogwarts and St Mungo's – as y'know, Hogwarts students don't pay money for their education, it's completely free."

"Yeah, my Daddy was happy when he first heard that," said Lily, smiling at the memory.

James grinned. "I'll bet," he said. "Anyway – the goblins, they're the ones in charge of the economy of Wizarding Britain. There are separate vaults where the money required to run the three main institutions – the Ministry, Hogwarts and St Mungo's – is set aside. They cover the cost of the Ministry's expenditures, including employee salaries. Only the Head Goblin at Gringotts and the current Minister for Magic have access to the actual amount of money in these vaults – it's all classified, see?"

"Right," said Lily, nodding.

"So," continued James, "To go back to your question – well, the biggest source of money for the Ministry of Magic is – _trade_. Yes, that's right – just like in the Muggle world, trade exists in the Wizarding world," he added, correctly interpreting Lily's raised eyebrows as a sign of surprise. _Wow_ , she thought, _I never knew this!_ "There are a lot of commodities that are traded back-and-forth – for instance, the British Wizarding world imports pewter, which is the most common material to make cauldrons. France has rich pewter deposits."

"So – what do we export?" asked Lily curiously.

"Dittany," said James shortly, an expression of satisfaction on his face. "Dittany is the single-most important ingredient in any healing potion – and the herb is indigenous to northern lochs of Scotland. The hilly, cold terrain is conducive for it."

"But – you have the Alps in Europe," said Lily, shaking her head, "And Scandinavia is further north than Scotland – so, how is it that the British Wizarding world exports so much of it?"

"Well – dittany is sort of a selective herb," said James. "From what Mum's told me, the conditions in Scotland are _just_ right for its growth – indeed, we're the biggest producer of the essence of dittany in the world. West Germany is second – but our output is twelve times that of theirs, and while they export it too, it's nothing compared to what we export. That brings in a lot of money to the Ministry."

"But – isn't it unwise to have your economy so dependent on just one commodity?" asked Lily, wrinkling her forehead. "What if other countries figure out a way to grow it more, then no one will want it from us!"

"Your logic is spot on," said James, grinning at her. "Which is why – dittany isn't the only thing the British Wizarding world exports. We also export other stuff – Floo Powder forms a major chunk it, too. Oh, yes," he added, undoubtedly in response to her frown, "Floo Powder – it was invented sometime in the thirteenth century, and its exact composition is a well-guarded secret. Indeed, Britain is the Wizarding world's only exporter of Floo Powder."

"Wow," said Lily, her mouth slightly agape. "So – for something that's a staple in every Wizarding household, wouldn't the British Ministry of Magic gain a monopoly over it? How would the other countries be OK with that? And wouldn't their Magical Researchers figure out a way to manufacture their own Floo Powder?"

"All valid questions," said James, smiling brightly at her. "Very astute, Lil – and as you rightly point out, the British Ministry of Magic _does_ have a monopoly over Floo Powder. It's cheap, readily available, and its price has remained stable for the last century at least – two Sickles a scoop. The manufacturing process – it's extremely precise, see? No room for error – that's why, the Ministry actively discourages people from trying to create their own Floo Powder. And it wasn't particularly widespread in its use until the eighteenth century… The Wizards' Council – the precursor to the Ministry of Magic – kept the manufacturing of Floo Powder tightly regulated, and it was exclusively available only to its members."

"Sounds rather elitist if you ask me," said Lily, shaking her head.

"Oh, it definitely was," said James, grinning. "What's more, they were rather anti-Muggle, too – for instance, in the fourteenth century, they never censured Nicholas Malfoy, who killed numerous Muggles and disguised their deaths as the victims of some Muggle disease or ailment at the time – I forget the name –"

"Hang on," said Lily, frowning again, "Are you referring to the Black Death?"

"Yes, that's it!" said James, clapping his hands once in satisfaction. "But I digress – anyway, for nearly five hundred years, the use of Floo Powder was largely restricted. All that changed, however, when the Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707. You see, the new Minister – Ulick Gamp – he was a visionary. The International Statue of Secrecy had just been signed in 1692, and he took it upon himself to police a scared and uncertain Wizarding community… He was the first Minister for Magic, and it was in his term that the three Unforgiveable Curses were first designated to be Unforgiveable."

"Hmm," said Lily, eagerly drinking in all this information; it was fascinating to hear how the law system of Wizarding world was founded, something she'd studied only superficially in Professor Binns's class. "So – what does that have to do with Floo Powder?"

"Well, Gamp saw it as an opportunity for the British Wizarding world's economic advancement," said James. "A frightened world, a tenuous peace between Muggles and wizards – he saw himself as the man who would lead Wizarding Britain to glory. The Commercialisation of Floo Powder was one of his first Acts – he aggressively publicised its capabilities, ease of operation, and safety in Continental Europe, and assembled a team of highly trained witches and wizards to quadruple its manufacture. It quickly gained popularity, and Britain's Magical Researchers were successful in placing all sorts of Charms on the exported Floo Powder to prevent anyone else from replicating its manufacturing procedure. In short, Britain now had total monopoly on a widely popular product, and Gamp exploited that by charging the other Ministries higher and higher prices for it."

"Smart man," said Lily, with grudging admiration. "A capitalist through and through!"

"Capitalist?" asked James, confused.

"Never mind," said Lily, shaking her head with a little smile. "That's a lesson for another time – go on."

"Right," said James. "Well, anyway, in 1753, the five strongest Ministries from Continental Europe – France, Spain, Scandinavia, Austria, and the Ottoman – signed a treaty with Britain to prevent it from raising the prices of Floo Powder beyond a certain limit. In exchange, the five Ministries would stop all research into duplicating Floo Powder. A good deal for Britain, since witches and wizards all across Europe were using Floo Powder, see? By that point, the British Ministry had grown and become quite wealthy, and they'd learnt valuable lessons in how to build their economy."

"So – where do the goblins come in?" Lily asked curiously. "Aren't they in charge of the economy?"

"Ah – I'm glad you asked," said James, a twinkle in his hazel eyes. "Wizards and goblins have had an uneasy sort of peace for several centuries. You see, after Gringotts was founded back in 1404, the Wizards' Council (and later on, the Ministry) exercised a lot of control over the bank for about four hundred years. That led to several pacts between wizardkind and the goblins – for instance, the wizards and witches would be the only magical beings who could carry and use a wand and in exchange, the goblins would have higher control over the Wizarding economy. For starters, they'd be in charge of casting Galleons, Sickles and Knuts… Goblins can work metal in a way that wizards can't – which is why, anything goblin-made is of high monetary value. However, goblin rebellions flare up every now and then, but they're usually temporary because it's in both parties' best interests to continue with status quo… The goblins manufacture and sell necklaces and other jewellery for exorbitant prices – indeed, few witches and wizards can afford those, but they're symbols of prestige, which means that there will always be people who buy them. Plus, a part of the money obtained from exports is given to the goblins – that keeps them happy. The goblins are also responsible for re-introducing all Muggle money that's exchanged for Galleons at Gringotts – back into the Muggle world. The easiest way to do that is by using it to buy gold and other metals to make jewellery…"

"Oh, so – there are transactions existing between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds?" Lily asked, her eyes wide.

James grinned. "Yep," he said, nodding. "Anything that makes a profit is acceptable, see? Gamp was the one who signed the law that every new Minister for Magic is to make acquaintance with the incumbent Muggle Prime Minister. This led to some interesting developments in the eighteenth century – the Muggle British Empire successfully colonised half the world for monetary gain, who d'you think was responsible for that?"

"They had Wizarding assistance?" Lily asked with a bewildered smile. _'The sun once never set on the British Empire' – my God, that statement makes so much sense now!_ she thought, grinning at the epiphany.

"Precisely," said James, smiling grimly. "It's how some of the old Wizarding families like the Malfoys, the Crabbes and the Lestranges made their money – they kept a substantial share of the spoils. The wizards would get themselves hired as mercenaries – ever heard of the natives of other continents being massacred? Well, now you know how that was accomplished…" He made a face and shook his head, and she surveyed him, shocked. _Wow_ , she thought disdainfully… _These old and rich pureblood families made their fortune through blood money. Blood money…_

James was speaking again. "So, there you have it," he said, with an air of finality, "The Ministry of Magic funds everything largely through trade, with two primary commodities and several smaller ones. Both commodities have a strong demand that's unlikely to ever reduce, which makes the British Wizarding world richer and richer… I dunno what it costs to run Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, but I do know that the expenses are divvied up between many of the West European Ministries in case of Beauxbatons, and Scandinavia along with the Soviet Union Ministry of Magic for Durmstrang. No other country has a school that it exclusively runs – _that_ puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

"It surely does," said Lily, nodding decisively as she finished the last of her chicken. "Wow – I knew that the British Wizarding world was powerful, but I didn't know how powerful!"

"Well – now you do," said James, smiling at her. "Plus – it also explains why Voldemort is trying to take over," he added, his smile going from pleasant to taut within half a second. "That pureblood supremacy rubbish is just a front for his real agenda – complete and total control over the British Wizarding world… Which is why, this 3QT is so important for the Ministry. It's a show of power – that we have everything under control, there's no war, that we're in good financial shape – it'll aid in fuelling the propaganda, Lily."

Lily frowned as she mulled over his words; they'd discussed the Ministry's ulterior motives for staging the 3QT before, and this was very much in line with that… "Then – it stands to reason," she said slowly, "That the final of the 3QT, in London, will have tight security…"

"Yep – that's what I think, too," said James, grinning at her again. "Dad thinks the same – he hasn't said anything to me, but I'm sure he reckons that there will be several vulnerable places across Britain that day, and even as we speak, he's probably working on a plan to narrow them down and protect them."

"Good thinking," Lily agreed. Spotting his empty plate, she added, "Well – thank you for explaining how the Wizarding economy works, James – you certainly answered several of my questions!" James smirked, and she added, "Well – are you almost done? We should get back to your house in time for the party…"

"We have five hours," James pointed out, looking at his watch. "The party starts at six… We have plenty of time!"

"Well – I need to start getting ready at three," said Lily decisively. "Liz is coming over, remember? We're going to get ready together."

"You need _three hours?_ " James asked, his tone disbelieving. "What're you going to be doing, exactly?"

"It's a girl thing," Lily responded impishly as she left a couple of Galleons on the table to pay for their meal. "Besides," she added coyly, "I want to look beautiful for my Jamie…"

"Ugh, not you, too!" he said, rolling his eyes as she guffawed in a most unladylike fashion. "It's bad enough that my parents keep calling me that!"

"Well, if it doesn't annoy you, what good is a nickname, really?" Lily replied, smirking. James just shook his head and extended his hand to her. "I promise we'll get back by three," he said, "Now, d'you want to go for a nice stroll through Diagon Alley – and stop by Sirius's?"

"Sure – Liz was going to be there anyway, she can come back with us," said Lily, nodding.

"All right, then," said James, and the two of them made their way to Sirius's flat, walking along at a leisurely pace… They spent an enjoyable afternoon playing Exploding Snap before James, Lily and Liz Flooed back to Potter Mansion; Lily and Liz promptly disappeared into the guest room, and threw their clothes and other accessories onto Lily's bed. "You're right – we do need three hours if we have to look our best," said Liz, surveying the mess critically. "Well, first step – I'm off to take a quick bath. You should do the same after me, too."

"Obviously," said Lily, nodding. _I want to look my best tonight_ , she thought firmly as she started to sort everything into neat piles. However, she was a little distracted…

She still hadn't forgotten that _longing_ she'd felt for James about a week ago. It had been after he'd comforted her after she'd poured her heart out to him about how she didn't fit anywhere… He'd been a gentleman that day, taking her home after that disastrous dinner, but she'd seen the same longing in his hazel eyes, too. She'd almost backed out of staying at Potter Mansion over New Year's, but she'd decided to honour her commitment in the end… She knew that he'd have been bitterly disappointed, and she liked spending time with his parents. Besides, now that they were going out, it was important to meet his parents formally, too…

Unfortunately, none of this helped when she felt the sparks fly between her and James, every time they were alone together.

"Lil – you're putting the ribbons in with the earrings!" came Liz's voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Hmm – so I am!" she said with vague surprise, before placing the sapphire-blue ribbons in her hand into the right pile. "What's the matter?" Liz asked her as she applied a Drying Charm on long blonde hair and giving Lily a searching sort of look. "You're distracted about something – c'mon, out with it!"

Lily shook her head; Liz knew her better than almost everybody, and it was useless to pretend that something wasn't on her mind. _Hmm – she knows, maybe she can help me_ , she thought as she asked her best friend, "Er – I need to ask you something… A private sort of question." She gave Liz a tentative look, and Liz's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Well?" she said inquiringly.

"Er," said Lily, unsure where to begin, "Well, how did – how did you know that – er –"

"How did I know what?" prodded Liz impatiently.

"Er – how did you know that the moment – the moment was right for you and Black to, er –"

"Shag?" asked Liz with a straight face.

"Ew!" said Lily, revolted. Liz guffawed impishly and said, "Oh, c'mon – everyone calls it that!"

"I thought I was used to your shamelessness, but you find new ways to surprise me!" said Lily, shaking her head at her friend's indecent speech.

Liz laughed again. "Want to shag James, do you?" she asked, a shrewd twinkle in her sea-green eyes.

"Please stop using that word," said Lily with a little shudder.

"Just answer the question," said Liz, smirking.

"What? No!" exclaimed Lily. "I – I mean, maybe… I dunno!"

"Ooh, you most definitely do!" said Liz, smirking so widely that her sea-green eyes were almost slits. "Who would've thought – ickle, rule-abiding Lily Evans, straight arrow extraordinaire, wants to shag her boyfriend before marriage – and thereby live in sin!"

"Again – please stop using that word!" said Lily, an expression of disgust on her face.

"But it's what you want to do, isn't it?" said Liz again, her sea-green eyes dancing with mischief. Lily continued to look at her piteously, and her friend caught on to it at once, for she said, "Hey – all right, c'mere…" She made Lily sit down on the bed gently, before sitting down in front of her. "Look," she began, her voice delicate, "I know it can feel daunting, doing that for the first time… I mean, trust me – I know that first-hand." She placed a comforting arm around Lily's shoulders and continued, "In my case, I just knew that the moment was right… I was sure that he wanted it as much as I did, see? It was a rainy evening, and we were just cuddling up at his apartment when one thing led to another, and –"

"Spare me the details," interrupted Lily, and Liz chuckled. "All right," she said, giving Lily a little wink. "I guess what I'm saying is, you'll know… You'll know when the moment is right."

Lily nodded tentatively, not entirely convinced. Liz continued, "Answer me this, though – d'you think he wants it?"

"Yes," said Lily without hesitation. "There was a – a moment, where I was sure we both wanted it – just like I'd wanted to kiss him in the Hospital Wing that night at the end of our last year."

"Interesting," said Liz, "And? What happened?"

"Nothing," said Lily emphatically. "We were outside, sitting on a park bench – it was right after we'd had dinner with Petunia and her fiancé, see?" She couldn't even bear taking Vernon's name; just the thought of that rude, arrogant and narrow-minded man was enough to make her fingers curl up into a fist. She'd already told Liz about that disastrous evening, and her best friend indicated for her to go on, wrinkling her nose slightly (Liz had been quite inclined to find Vernon and hex him into oblivion). "Anyway," she continued with some effort, "I was really upset, and he was comforting me… He did a wonderful job, and in that moment I – I dunno, I just – _wanted_ him, see?" She wasn't quite sure how to explain what she'd felt, but Liz's knowing look told her that she didn't need to. "Besides, I only had to take one look in his eyes to know that _he_ wanted it, too. I just knew, and I'm pretty sure that _he_ knew it, too… Which is why, he was a total gentleman – typical James," she added, shaking her head with a sheepish sort of grin. "He dropped me home almost immediately – and rather abruptly, I might add."

Liz laughed. "You're right," she said, "Typical James… Anyway, here's my advice." She paused, then continued, "Like I said, you'll know when the moment is right… It doesn't matter who initiates it, but in that moment, _both_ of you will want it. Remember, though – if he initiates it but you don't want to do it, make sure to say _no…_ Gentleman that James is, he'll stop at once. Only proceed if _both_ of you want it. Oh, and one little thing – perform the Contraceptive Spell that my Mum taught you within twenty-four hours of the – er, _act_." She chuckled.

"Thanks – that's good advice," said Lily slowly as she mulled this over. For the umpteenth time, she thanked her stars that she had Liz as her best friend – what would she do without her?

"I know," said Liz, smirking slightly. Lily rolled her eyes and indicated that they start getting ready; springing into action at once, Liz said, "Oh, right – blimey, you distracted me there, Lil! Anyway – you'd better take a bath while I sort these things out. Then we'll get ready together."

"Done," said Lily, and went off to take a bath, still thinking about what Liz had said…

It had been rather shocking, the suddenness of her attraction towards James. It had been a terrible evening… Vernon and Petunia had been downright insolent, acting as if Lily and James were untouchable, uncivilised people with whom they'd never associate, and treating them like scum. It was bad enough that a sizeable number of people in the Wizarding world were biased and narrow-minded, but it had been a rude shock to her that Muggles could be just as disrespectful and contemptuous – and her _own_ sister, that too!

She'd made her decision that night… There would be no reconciliation with Petunia, none whatsoever. It was over; something had irreversibly broken between them… Gone were the days when Lily still maintained faint hopes of having a relationship with her sister. It was as if someone had slapped her awake that night, forcing her to realise the kind of person her sister was; just like that horrible day when Snape had called her that unforgiveable word…

She'd poured her heart out to James, and he'd made her feel so much better. Here was someone who had accepted her for who she was… She'd never met someone with more honour and chivalry. Yes, he had his flaws, but who didn't? He always treated her like a queen. He was a passionate boy, someone who always stood up for what he believed in regardless of the consequences… And he was someone who loved her with a heart as pure as Samwise Gamgee from the Lord of the Rings.

That night in the park, as he'd comforted her, she'd felt a primitive, animalistic longing to – nah, _I can't think about that_ , she thought, making a face. Wasn't it a reaction to how vulnerable and depressed she'd been feeling? Or had she really wanted to rip his clothes off him, and –

 _Stop it_ , she commanded herself forcefully as the hot water washed over her. _Get a grip on yourself… Don't hurry into it. Listen to Liz… It'll happen when it does, and when it does, you'll both be ready…_ She turned off the shower, quickly dried herself and walked out after throwing on her t-shirt and jeans. "You took your time," said Liz, clicking her tongue, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd drowned." She indicated the bed where everything was sorted into neat piles.

Lily grinned. "Nah – I took my time so that I didn't have to do any more sorting," she said dryly, and Liz shook her head. "Shirker," she said with a little smirk, "Now, c'mon – we have only two hours to get ready!"

"Aye, aye, skipper," said Lily, mock-saluting Liz as she quickly gathered her dress robes. "C'mon – I'll go first!"

Two hours later, two beautiful girls stood in front of the full-length mirror in the guest room. "Well – that'll do it," said the taller of the two; her long, waist-length blonde hair fell about in curls behind her shoulders, and her sea-green eyes sparkled as she grinned at the other. "Even if I'm saying it myself – we look gorgeous!"

"Hmm – we do, don't we?" agreed Lily as she surveyed herself and Liz. Her best friend wore the same periwinkle-blue dress robes (a present from her parents) she'd worn at Slughorn's Christmas party, and for the umpteenth time, Lily looked at Liz's perfect hourglass figure a little enviously. Her dress robes suited her flawlessly, and accentuated her curves beautifully… She grinned a little ruefully at her best friend, frowning in slight surprise as Liz's expression mirrored her own.

"I have to hand it to you, Lil – I wish my robes suited me as yours suit you," she said. "Your hair, your hairband, your eyes – blimey, you're beautiful! And we haven't even come to your bre –"

"That'll do," interrupted Lily quickly. "But – you're kidding, right? Have you even _looked_ at yourself?"

"Hmm – perfect case of the grass being greener on the other side," said Liz, smirking. "That being said – you look lovely, and I'd be surprised if James doesn't get an erec –"

"Please stop," implored Lily, as Liz dissolved into laughter. "Really, haven't you had enough of vulgarity?"

Before Liz could respond, however, there was a loud knock on the door. "Are you ready? It's nearly seven!" came Sirius Black's voice. "Blimey, You-Know-Who might destroy half of Britain by the time you two are done!"

"Idiot," said Liz as she opened the door. Black entered immediately, followed closely by James; Lily watched with a satisfied smirk on her face as the boys' mouths opened in slight surprise. "Wow," said James at last, his eyes fixated upon her, "You – you look – _wow!_ "

"Thanks," she said shyly. "You don't look too shabby, yourself!" she added, giving him an impish grin, which he returned. "I try," he said simply, rolling his eyes at Liz and Sirius passionately locking lips. "C'mon – shall we?" he asked Lily, holding out his hand; giggling, she took it, at the two of them walked out of the room gracefully after bidding their friends to join them soon.

Lily entered the huge ballroom and looked around in wonder. The ceiling was enchanted to mimic the sky outside, quite like Hogwarts; live fairies floated around in miniature baubles, and thick streamers of holly criss-crossed the ceiling. Enchanted snow was falling, too; the warm and dry snowflakes were disappearing as soon as they hit something, much to Lily's fascination. _Hmm – appears to be a Vanishing Charm_ , she thought. _I need to learn how to enchant things to disappear automatically…_

"Well, well – don't you look beautiful!" said Mrs Potter as she came up to them. Behind her, Lily saw Mr Potter welcome the arriving guests. "My, my – you and Jamie complement each other beautifully!" added Mrs Potter, surveying them appraisingly. Lily blushed, and James said, "Mum, for Heaven's sake – please, _please_ , call me James, at least tonight!"

"I'll try," said Mrs Potter, with a little wink at Lily. "I think Peter's already here with his Mum, James – though I dunno where he went," she added, scanning the room quickly.

"That's all right – he's bound to be at the refreshments table," said James, grinning. Lily laughed before saying to Mrs Potter, "You look beautiful too, Mrs Potter!"

"Why, thank you, dear," said Mrs Potter, giving her a contented smile. "Why, Fleamont and I – when we were your age –"

"Hey, you two!" came a most familiar voice, and Lily barely had time to register what was happening before Marlene McKinnon pulled her and James into a quick hug. "Wow, you look great, Lily!" she said admiringly as she drew back. She waved to James's Mum, who said with faint amusement, "Well, you lot – have fun, and don't let anyone underage have the Firewhiskey!"

"Yes, Mum," said James, crossing his hands behind his back. Mrs Potter gave them a little nod before going off to greet more guests, and Lily said, "C'mon, James – surely you don't mean to – 'inadvertently' – get underage kids drunk?"

"Maybe," said James, his hazel eyes twinkling as Marlene laughed. "Well, if you do, don't let them pull a Pettigrew!" she said. James looked confused, and Lily grinned before saying, "Y'know – third year –"

"Oh, right!" exclaimed James. "Blimey, we didn't mean for that to happen – well, here's the man in question!" he added, as Peter walked towards them, happily carrying a bowl of plum pudding.

Lily had a great time at the party that evening. James introduced her to several important Ministry officials – plus, much to her embarrassment, he made it a point to sing praises of her academic prowess, concluding by declaring that she'd be an asset to any department who hired her. She had a fair idea _why_ he was doing this, however… It _had_ to be because she'd conveyed her frustration of feeling like a misfit to him, didn't it? He was doing his bit to ensure that she got a job once she graduated from Hogwarts, regardless of her Muggleborn status… _He's so sweet_ , she thought, smiling as James introduced her to the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation…

As midnight approached, the band began to play slow and melodious waltz songs; James led a giggling Lily to the centre of the ballroom, and they were soon followed by several other guests. As they danced, Lily looked deeply into James's eyes, and noticed something rather unsettling: he was gazing down at her remarkably like he had two years ago at Slughorn's Christmas party…

Well, she'd been convinced that he'd been in love with her back then because of that gaze, but she'd convinced herself later that she'd come to the wrong conclusion. Now, however… As she looked deeper into his hazel eyes, she realised that her initial instinct had been correct. James _had_ been in love with her back then, and she'd simply dismissed it as a teenage infatuation… She mentally kicked herself. Why hadn't she taken him seriously back then? Why had she allowed herself to be influenced by Severus Snape?

 _Well, it doesn't matter now_ , said the voice inside her head, sounding remarkably like Liz. _Seriously, stop beating yourself up… Better late than never, isn't it? You ended up with him eventually, didn't you? So, stop thinking about the time you lost – and think about the time you have. With the war only getting worse, you_ have to _make every minute count, don't you?_

A contented smile came over her face. _Yes_ , she thought decisively… _I'm going to make it count…_

As soon as the song ended, James kissed her gently on the lips and whispered, "I love you, Lily…"

"Love you too," she whispered back, meaning every word.

"Little break?" he asked, and she nodded; he promptly went off towards the refreshments table, and she sat down in one of the chairs towards the edge of the ballroom before recognising the witch sitting next to her. "Emily!" she exclaimed, standing up to hug her Order of the Phoenix Instructor, "You made it!"

"I said I would, didn't I?" said Emily, grinning back at her. "Blimey, this is something I've missed," she added as an enchanted snowflake landed on her outstretched palm before disappearing immediately, "Snow during Christmas…"

"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Lily. "It's summer during Christmas in Australia, isn't it?"

"Correct," said Emily, her grin widening. "Good to see you remember your geography, Lily…"

Lily danced with a few other people over the next hour – Black, who was as adept a dancer as James; Remus, who didn't step on her toes even once this time, much to his own delight; Peter, who blushed a little before lamenting the fact that his girlfriend had been unable to come; and Mr Potter, who moved most gracefully, and happily told her that she was the best thing that had happened to his son, much to her delight. All too soon, it was almost midnight, and everyone began to count down the seconds to midnight with enthusiasm… "Ten," cried the guests in unison, "Nine – eight – seven – six – five – four – three – two – one –"

A loud BOOM suddenly echoed throughout the ballroom at precisely the stroke of midnight, and the party looked around in alarm; it came from nearby, but it didn't feel the source of the noise was within the house. "Everyone – remain calm!" Mr Potter shouted, drawing his wand; a few other people including Mrs Potter and Emily followed suit, and followed Mr Potter briskly out of the ballroom to investigate the source of the explosion…

Lily drew her own wand, too (she always carried it with her; it was a weapon without which she never really felt safe), as did many of her friends – but a Ministry official made his way to the ballroom door, and announced, "Everyone – the Ministry has been notified, and a team of Aurors is on the way to assist Mr Potter and the others. I _implore_ you – please remain calm, and stay put!"

"Like hell," said James loudly, walking determinedly towards the door, wand out. "That's my Dad out there!"

"And a highly skilled wizard he is, Mr Potter," said the Ministry official firmly, sliding himself in front of the door to block it completely. "Please – stay here."

"Make me," said James, raising his wand. _No, this'll only get ugly_ , Lily thought urgently, and called out to her boyfriend; he turned, and she made her way to him quickly. "No, James," she said softly. "Your Dad told us to stay – we should stay."

"But –"

"They'll be fine, trust me," said Lily, knowing that they were empty words – but giving him an intense stare all the same. He lowered his wand and said, "Fine – but if they don't return in ten minutes, I'm going out there to help."

"Likewise," said Sirius purposefully, and Liz nodded from next to him. "That's fair – and I'll join you, too," said Lily, as they were joined by Marlene, Mary, Peter and Remus, who gestured to them. "Here," he said, and they followed him to the French window… Lily gasped as she saw the silhouette of a tall building, which was in flames. _So that's the cause of the explosion_ , she thought as James said softly from next to her, "Oh, no – that's the Town Square… A popular party location during holidays…"

 _Which means there were probably people inside_ , thought Lily, her heart aching with sadness. How many had been injured? How many had died? She was filled with a burning hatred for Voldemort and his goons. _That accursed pithecanthropus_ , she thought, her teeth clenched. Her grip around her wand tightened. _Oh, how I wish I could make him pay for this…_ But there was nothing they could do, not at the moment, anyway. And so, they all stood tensely, wands out, waiting to hear something, anything…

They didn't have long to wait; five minutes later, Mr Potter entered the room, followed closely by the guests who had left the party to assist him. "The Town Square – it's on fire," he said sombrely. "Ministry witches and wizards are extinguishing it as we speak, but it was a New Year's party location…"

Lily's stomach clenched, and she closed her eyes and lowered her head. Mr Potter continued, "The perpetrators just set the building on fire before fleeing – we didn't even have to duel anyone. We set to work extinguishing the blaze, and a few bravehearts here –" he indicated the people who had followed him, and Lily noticed for the first time that some of them had superficial burns over their faces, while a few others had singed dress robes, "—they went right into the building and rescued as many people as they could. The Aurors arrived soon after, as did the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad and the Hit Wizards… The situation's under control now. We'll know more tomorrow."

A babble of talk broke out following Mr Potter's words; evidently, everyone wanted to hear first-hand accounts from the guests who had bravely entered the burning building and rescued several Muggles. "Those no-good sea-gherkins!" James burst out savagely. "That Town Square is a bleeding landmark… By the Sword of Gryffindor, they're going to pay for this!"

"James," said Lily, and placed a gentle hand over his shoulder. "Calm down, James…"

"Calm down?" he mimicked incredulously. "Lily, they attacked Godric's Hollow. _Godric's Hollow!_ How would you feel if someone attacked a landmark in Cokeworth? Nay, this isn't a random attack… It's a message from the Dark Side! Something like – we can attack wherever we want, whenever we want, and you can't do anything about it!"

"All the same – Lily's right, you need to calm down, mate," said Black, speaking more soothingly than Lily would've given him credit for. "Look, pretty soon, we're all going to participate in the war – we're all going to help… C'mon, Prongs." He drew in a deep breath. "Didn't you say it yourself, more than a year ago – that Jugson had outclassed you? That you'd realised you needed more training in order to match him, Spell for Spell?"

There was a tense silence, following which James said reluctantly, "Yes."

"There you go, then," said Black, as if that settled it. "We become better with duelling, then you can go and punish these thugs as you like. But to do that – we need to work hard, and we need to work smartly."

Lily looked on with grudging admiration towards Black as James mulled over his words. _Well… That's a surprisingly sensible argument from Black_ , she thought… Her spirits lowered slightly. Why hadn't _she_ been to one to put it forth? _Well, Black obviously knows James better than you_ , said the voice inside her head. _Don't fret – there will come a time when you'll be the one who provides him counsel when something like this happens…_ Feeling slightly happier, she looked on apprehensively at James's set face. "Fine," he said at last, "Fine… But once we graduate, I'm not holding back, and these Death Eaters had better watch out!"

"That's the spirit, mate," said Black, clapping him on the back.

The party wound down quite swiftly after that, and by twelve-thirty, Lily was the only one to remain behind at Potter Mansion with James's family (Emily had lingered to have a word with James's parents before bidding them goodbye, with a promise to make their training a lot harder in the New Year). "Er – I can help clean up," she said to Mrs Potter, who smiled tiredly at her. "No, that's all right, darling," she said, "Tippy will take care of it… You should go to bed. In fact, we all should…"

"Right," said James, "Well, for what it's worth, Happy New Year." He swiftly walked up to Lily and gave her quick kiss on the lips. She blushed; what was he thinking, kissing her in front of his parents?

"Yes – Happy New Year to you, too," said Mr Potter with faint amusement, and proceeded to kiss Mrs Potter, who blushed faintly as well… _Hmm, I see from where he gets his confidence_ , thought Lily, giving James a fond glance as he made a face before looking anywhere but at his parents. She elbowed him with a little chuckle, and he said, "Well, I'm off to bed… 'Night, all."

"G'Night, son," said Mr and Mrs Potter together, before turning to Lily. "G'Night, Lily… Sleep well, sweetheart," said Mrs Potter, giving her a gentle smile.

"'Night," said Lily, and followed James upstairs. "See you in the morning, then," he said as they paused near the guest bedroom. She pecked him gently on the cheek in response, and he gave her a little wave before walking off to his bedroom… Lily entered her own, quickly changed into her nightgown and settled snugly under the blankets, her spirits low… It had been a most tragic ending to an amazing party.

Try as she might, Lily couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, unable to get the image of the burning building out of her head… Would this be _their_ fate one day? Would Voldemort prove to be too powerful for anyone to stop? Would his supporters keep attacking innocent people and keep up the senseless killings just for fun?

Lily shook her head as she stared at the ceiling. So long as they had Dumbledore, they were fine… But would this war prove to be too much, even for him? He was an old man, after all… And what if – she drew in a sharp breath as suddenly, cold fear clutched her heart – what if something happened to James or Liz? Her parents – what if something happened to them? What if the Death Eaters found out where they lived?

Lily suddenly jumped out of bed. She couldn't be alone tonight… Her train of thought was too negative, and she needed company to take her mind off things. She needed comfort… She just needed someone to hold her close, and tell her that everything was going to be all right…

"James," she whispered as she knocked softly on his door, "James!"

She heard faint footsteps, and James opened the door. Lily's eyes immediately went to his bare chest; he was wearing only his pyjama bottoms… She quickly focused on his face as he asked, "What is it, Lil? You all right?"

"No," she said shortly. "Can I – can I come in?"

"'Course," he said, and moved back; she entered the room and shut the door behind her. He quickly threw on his pyjama shirt, and sat down on his bed. He gave her an inquiring sort of look, and she sat down next to him. "I – I dunno," she began, uncertain of how to articulate her misgivings, "I can't sleep… I keep thinking of this war, and how close the place that got attacked was to us, and – what if something happens to us? To my parents? To you, your parents? And –" she sensed an onset of panic, "—what if they attack Hogwarts? What if they go after Dumbledore – what if we lose him? Is there any hope after that? I mean, sure – we're preparing, we're trying, but it's like Black said earlier – we're simply _not_ ready! We'd die out there, without a fuss! And the Ministry – they're busy organising Quidditch tournaments while people are dying left, right and centre! Is this it? Is it the end?"

She was blabbering, working herself up into a hysteria of sorts. Her heart was pounding, and she gave James a pleading sort of look, willing him to say something to reassure or comfort her…

James sighed and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "C'mere," he said, and lay back on his bed. After a moment's hesitation, she lay next to him, placing her head over his shoulder, and her arm over his chest… She took in a couple of deep, steadying breaths, and tried to calm herself down. James patted her head gently, and said, "Well, Lily… Here's the thing. _This is war._ I'm going to repeat that. This – is – _war_." He paused, then continued, "Our cause – it's just, it's fair, and most importantly, it's _right_. We're on the right side, we're fighting an enemy whose ultimate mission is to gain power and submit everyone else to his will. Let's face it – the enemy is powerful, and operates in secret – surprise attacks, chaos and the like. We're at a disadvantage – we have to defend, and we don't know _what_ should be defended, so we are forced to be reactive. Besides, not everyone is willing to pick up wands to join our cause, and I don't blame them…"

He kissed her forehead. "However, it's not as bleak as it looks. There's still hope… Dumbledore, for one. That man is frightfully intelligent, and he is devising ways for us to be proactive rather than reactive, allowing us to push Voldemort on the defensive – and counterattack. At the moment, he has lower numbers than us – but that gap is reducing day by day, and it's our job to recruit as many people as we can to our cause. And finally," he sighed again, "There's the question of our own safety. Again, this is war… Good or bad, people are going to die. That thought alone has given me several sleepless nights," he admitted, and she quickly pecked him reassuringly on the cheek. "But as long as I can do something to stop Voldemort – well, that gives me hope. I _do_ want to make the world a better place – and I won't stop until I have achieved that, or die trying."

She pressed him closer to her. She couldn't bear even the thought of him dying… "Don't worry, I'm not dying any time soon – I'm not done yet," he said wryly. "All I'm saying is, there's no point worrying too much – _yet_. What will come, will come – and you'll have me right by your side when we face it. Together," he added, conviction ringing in his soft voice.

It was as if his words had lit a fire in her being. She still had her misgivings – oh, of course she did – but his words had re-energised her. She knew in that moment that her own destiny would be the same as his, and if _she_ wanted to make the world a better place – well, it wasn't like she was going to give up, was she? _No, I won't_ , she thought firmly, her mind rallying against the negative thoughts. _I shall never give up. I shall fight – I shall fight till the bitter end…_

"Thank you," she whispered. "I really, _really_ needed to hear that, James…"

"We all go through our moments of doubt," he said sagely, stroking her hair. "It's natural – it's a part of being human. The key is to not lose sight of one's goal…" He kissed her on the forehead again. "I'm sure I'll have such moments, too," he said, with another wry chuckle. "And when I do, I hope you'll help me…"

"Count on it," she whispered, snuggling closer to him. She was already feeling better… Whether it was because of his words, or the physical closeness (or both), she didn't know. All she knew at that moment was that she _wanted_ him, wanted him in a way that was exhilarating and rather unnerving at the same time…

"You can stay here tonight – if you want to, that is," whispered James. She just snuggled closer to him in response, and he just continued to stroke her hair gently…

She didn't know who made the first move. All off a sudden, they were kissing passionately, and ripping off each other's clothes… _My, he certainly knows how to use his fingers_ , she thought with delight as she began kissing his bare, perfectly toned chest… She felt a primitive sort of excitement as he lowered himself on top of her… An exhilarating thrill engulfed her, and she laughed with happiness as the strange desire to have him in a way far different than before was fulfilled, much to her intense satisfaction.

Liz was right, she thought happily, making a note to perform the Contraceptive Spell first thing in the morning as she snuggled up to James contentedly. _I knew that the moment was right… And based on what just happened, so did he._

"I love you," whispered James, "More than anything in the world…"

His words sent a little tingle throughout her body. "I love you, too, sweetheart," she said softly, and he patted her head gently until they both fell asleep in blissful happiness… For in that moment, Lily Evans and James Potter were oblivious to Voldemort and his horrible deeds. Regardless of how the future would turn out, Lily and James had each other… And they'd always, _always_ have each other.

As James had said, what would come, would come – and they'd face it, together, when it did.

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 **Author's Note:**

Well, I think I justified the story's 'M' rating. Sorry this update took so long, life happened. Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28

Thanks for the reviews, Nupurlath and AnnaMT. Cheers and kudos for your regularity! I am dedicating this chapter to you, because there were times when I just didn't have the time to write any more, but I gritted my teeth and did it, so credit to you! Thank you!

 **AnnaMT:** Thanks!

 **Nupurlath:** Haha, thanks! The objective is to fill in the blanks. While using the Harry Potter wiki, the other stuff about the Wizarding economy is purely me. And sorry, the next chapter took longer!

Hi everyone, here is chapter twenty-eight. Readers, please review. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight**

" **It takes a special kind of bravery to acknowledge that one's heroic death will be in vain."**

James woke up early on New Year's Day. It was still quite dark, and he grabbed his glasses from his bedside table before putting them on. The clock directly in front of him told him that it was barely six o'clock, and everything was dead silent. It was as if the entire village of Godric's Hollow was slumbering after New Year celebrations, and the tragedy that had followed…

Lily stirred from next to him and hugged his torso a little closer to her, before cuddling up to him gently. He stroked her hair delicately, and happily noted the peaceful smile that appeared on her face as she slept. His grin widened as he remembered the events of last night…

She'd come to him, pale and shaking and sweaty faced. Her eyes had been piteous as she'd poured her heart out to him, and he'd comforted her… He'd realised that she wanted – nay, _needed_ – the comfort of his nearness last night. He'd promptly told her that she was welcome to sleep there tonight, next to him, if she wanted – and to his utmost happiness, she'd acquiesced.

He wasn't sure who had made the first move, but he didn't care. All he knew was that in that moment, _both of them_ had wanted it – and it had been every bit as special and magical as he'd pictured in his head…

He was glad that it had happened. It probably was a little soon – after all, Sirius, the eternal ladies' man, had taken several months to consummate his relationship with Liz. _I took a lot less time than that_ , he thought, smirking as he remembered something Sirius had said following his first date with Lily… _Who's slow now, Padfoot?_

He shook his head a little guiltily as he realised the juvenility of his thoughts. Lily and he had taken their relationship to the next level last night, and instead of celebrating it, here he was in a mental one-upmanship contest with Sirius… _Idiot_ , he remonstrated himself mildly. _You're in bed with a very, very special girl – the girl of your dreams! You need to appreciate that more than anything else!_

James's eyes widened suddenly as he heard a distant sound. His mother was an early riser, too – she was usually up at the crack of dawn to tend to her beloved plants. _Dammit_ , he thought, panicking slightly, _she can't find Lily here! I must wake her up at once!_

"Lily," he whispered, shaking her gently. "Lily, darling – wake up!"

She moaned, and he shook her a little more vigorously. "Lily – sweetheart, wake up! Mum could be here any moment!"

"Uhhh," she moaned again, "Go away, Mum – I told you, I don't wake up so early on a holiday!"

She rolled over, and James shook his head; he had to try a different tactic. "Mum's not here, sweetheart," he said softly, "Now it's only going to be me, James, who'll wake you up every day… We got married last night, remember?"

That did it; Lily shot up as if someone had pricked her on the backside. James stifled a laugh as she looked around and saw him; he continued laughing silently as she glared at him. "You bleeding bashi-bazouk," she grumbled, "Why're you waking me up in the middle of the night?"

"Wow – you're really unfriendly when you wake up," observed James dryly. She gave him a little smack on the head in response; he chuckled and said, "It's past six o'clock, and I'm pretty sure Mum's awake – I thought I heard something. You need to sneak back to your bedroom – pronto!" he added urgently.

"Right – right," she said, stifling a yawn, "If I leave quickly, will you promise not to bother me until noon?"

"Done," said James, grinning; after all, he _fully_ intended to go back to sleep once she left… She threw on her dressing gown and gave him a quick kiss before doing something she'd never done before; she ruffled his untidy hair, and laughed softly before exiting his bedroom. James lay back into bed, chuckling; he vaguely remembered feeling just a wee bit jealous whenever she ruffled Peter's hair, wanting nothing more than having _his_ hair ruffled, too…

He settled back into bed with a contented sigh. He could go without thinking about Voldemort and his gang of murderers for a few hours – for in that moment, James Potter felt nothing but the euphoria, the ecstasy and the exhilaration that came with the consummation of his relationship with Lily Evans.

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"Have some more of this chicken curry, dear," said Mrs Potter kindly to Lily. "Come on, don't be a stranger, now…"

"It's smashing!" said Lily, smiling as she helped herself to the chicken curry. "Oh, I feel so full – but I _can't_ stop eating!"

Mrs Potter beamed, and James laughed. "That's two extra rounds on the Quidditch pitch," he said dryly, and Lily stuck out her tongue at him. "You're one to talk – you don't even jog around the pitch these days!" she shot back.

"It's winter," said James, shrugging. "Everyone knows I don't do early morning jogs in the winter months –"

"You're just lazy," said Lily, smirking as she ate. "I jog fifteen rounds around the pitch every day – at six o'clock in the morning, that too! A simple Warming Charm is all it takes," she added proudly.

"Eh," said James, with a hint of indifference. "I get plenty of exercise when I actually _play_ Quidditch –"

"Doesn't count," said Lily dismissively. "We're talking about jogging – _and_ your laziness." She gave him a mischievous wink, and Mrs Potter chuckled. Before James could respond, however, they heard the front door open, and Mr Potter stepped into the dining room half a minute later. His face was sombre, and James's amusement faded away at once. What had happened now?

"Godric's Hollow wasn't the only place that was attacked," said Mr Potter, gently lowering himself into the fourth dining table chair. "There were attacks at several other Wizarding-majority villages across Britain last night…"

James's heart sank to his stomach as Lily whispered, "Oh, no!"

"Where else, Fleamont?" asked Mrs Potter, with forced calm.

"Six others besides Godric's Hollow," said Mr Potter heavily, "Ottery St Catchpole, Barnton, Tinworth, Upper Flagley, Portree and Caerphilly – all places with sizeable Muggle populations, too."

There was a tense pause, following which James asked the question hanging in the air. "How many?"

"Twenty-seven dead, sixty-eight injured across Britain," said Mr Potter, lowering his head and closing his eyes. "And this – this is on me… If I'd only done my job better! We'd received intelligence that an attack was imminent –"

"That's quite ridiculous, Fleamont," said Mrs Potter firmly. "You can't be everywhere at once… There are innumerable places in Britain that could've been attacked! You can't blame yourself!"

"All the same, it's my responsibility," said Mr Potter. "I wish Crouch would see some sense, but he's been somewhat dismissive when I take intelligence related to imminent threats to him – it would be fine if he lets me increase the number of Aurors we have on patrol duty, but he insists on providing additional security to the Minister and the Department Heads –"

"It's a good thing we have the Order, then," interrupted Mrs Potter.

Mr Potter looked at his wife dead in the eyes. "Yes, dear," he said softly, "But the truth is –" he closed his eyes, "—we're outnumbered. Voldemort's followers are increasing day by day, and we, on the other hand – are simply being _outmatched_." He opened his eyes and continued, "Dumbledore's recruiting anyone he can, but at this point, people are afraid – and it's purely self-preservation which forces them to choose the Dark Side. Well, that and the Imperius Curse," he added wryly.

James shook his head; this was a rather damning assessment of the entire situation. "This is a mess, Dad," he said, "But – I think there's still a lot of hope." His tone became firmer as he continued, "For instance – Dumbledore's managed to recruit more than half the students in our year for Order training, and everyone's doing their bit with a lot of purpose. Plus, we have Emily Walcott teaching us, and mark my words – she's the best DADA teacher we've ever had." He gave Lily a sideways glance, and she nodded in agreement. "We've got Dumbledore himself, too," he added. "And – so long as we have him, I don't think we should count ourselves out – just yet."

"Oh, we're nowhere close to _out_ , dear boy," said Mr Potter, shaking his head. "Trust me – we may have too few Order members, but the Ministry has more than enough resources to fight the Dark Side. It's a question of – using them _properly_." His voice was full of contempt as he spoke the last word.

"Why don't you just assign the Aurors the way you like, then?" Mrs Potter asked, raising her eyebrows. "You can just act as per your instincts, and the intelligence you receive!"

"I am," said Mr Potter, with a touch of asperity. "But – more than a few times – Aurors whom I've assigned to a certain task have been reassigned as – a part of the _security_ detail for the Minister or a Department Head. Like I said, Crouch isn't using his resources properly – and every time I bring it up with him, he just waves it off by saying that the Aurors can use Unforgiveable Curses now, so – neutralizing threats shouldn't be an issue." He shook his head. "Really, fighting violence with violence isn't the best solution – but him being my superior, there's not much I can do."

"Except going behind his back when you work for the Order," James pointed out, with a little chuckle.

A ghost of a grin appeared on Mr Potter's face. "Spot on, son – which is why, I've redoubled my efforts in recruiting more Aurors into the Order…" He served himself some rice and chicken curry. "But now – enough talk of the war. Didn't we say _Happy New Year_ last night?" He took a bite of his food and his smile widened. "Well – _that_ certainly makes me happy," he declared, much to everyone's amusement.

James laughed with the rest, but his mind was elsewhere… This was the first time his Dad had sounded so bleak about the war. His manner had always been hopeful up until now, confident that the Dark Side would be defeated… But something had changed after last night. The simultaneous attacks on some of the most prominent rural Wizarding dwellings had been a punch in the gut, and James knew, with a rising sense of foreboding, that things would only escalate from here…

His grip tightened on his wand in his pocket. He would fight – fight to the bitter end, if that was what it took… He glanced at Lily, and saw the same intensity that he was feeling reflected in her emerald-green eyes. His heart felt lighter at once… _Well, I know one thing for sure_ , he thought. _I won't be alone…_

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"So, how much d'you think Dumbledore will tell the entire school about the New Year's Day attacks?" Sirius asked James as they entered the Great Hall for dinner.

James shrugged. "We'll see," he said, "I mean, I'm expecting him to say _something_ , but he may not be as forthcoming on details as Dad was…" He lowered his voice as they sat down and continued, "On Thursday night, though, he may tell us the entire story –"

"Yeah, what I'd like to know is, _why_ did this happen?" said Sirius. "For how long is the Ministry going to disregard credible intelligence and fail to act? Are they going to wait until the Dark Side so powerful and unpredictable that we're going to go down without a fight?" he said darkly, his eyes narrowed.

"That last bit won't happen," responded James confidently. "However strong the enemy is, there won't be any abject surrender…"

It was their first day back following the Christmas holidays, and the mood at Hogwarts was rather subdued. No one had really been too animated through the train journey, though James and Lily had kept shooting each other covert glances before blushing slightly and turning away with smiles on their faces… _Blimey, I need to stop smiling like an idiot_ , James had thought… _And I need to tell her that, too! She's so beautiful –_

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," said Liz, giving James a little wink and bringing him back to the present. Lily sat down in front of him, and with a quick smile in his direction, said, "Well – isn't that the point of Thursday's meetings, Black? To circumvent the red tape, and to ensure no delays in taking action due to the laxity of official channels?"

"Keep your voice down," whispered Sirius urgently, but Lily gave him a small smirk. "Two steps ahead of you," she said, a little smugly, "I already cast a _Muffliato_ the moment I sat down… In fact, I think we should all start doing that. You never know who's listening…"

"Yes – good thinking, Lil," said James, grinning at her.

"Well, you can't be too careful," she replied, grinning back at him, "In these times, even one act of negligence can prove to be costly."

"Yep – that's the only way we'll survive this war," agreed Peter.

Sirius snorted. "C'mon, Wormtail," he said dismissively, "It's _winning_ the war that's the goal here!"

"Yes – but in order to win, you'd need to _survive_ it, won't you?" countered Peter. "Do whatever it takes to survive, bide your time, and strike the enemy at his weakest! The war is just like chess, Sirius – but I don't expect you to understand that, considering how much you stink at it," he added with an uncharacteristic smirk.

"I don't _stink_ at it!" said Sirius huffily as James and the others guffawed. "I just happen to lack the patience for it –"

But at that moment, Dumbledore stood up at the teacher's table, and all chatter died down at once. "Welcome back, everyone," he said. "I know that this has been a difficult holiday – it's been five years since Lord Voldemort and his followers have conducted their nefarious activities at this time of the year. The seven villages that were attacked had sizeable Wizarding populations." He paused, then continued, "I would like to ask everyone present in the Great Hall to stand up, and observe a minute of silence in honour of the departed souls, some of whom were near and dear to the people in this room."

James heard Lily gasp audibly, and knew what she was thinking at once: with the names of the people who had perished in the attack being withheld, she hadn't realised that some of those would be uncles, aunts, cousins and even immediate family of students who went to Hogwarts. He bowed his head in silence, but his thoughts were livid… How many families was Voldemort going to tear apart, how many young children was he going to orphan before he was stopped?

"Thank you," came Dumbledore's voice after a minute, "Please, take your seats. I would like to say a few words before we begin…"

Every eye was on the Headmaster as he began. "This has been the most brazen of Lord Voldemort's attacks till date. Unfortunately, we have had a sizeable number of attacks on Magical and Muggle communities alike over the past decade – which has put the Wizarding community in danger of developing a mindset that such things aren't anomalies, but rather, quite commonplace." Heat seemed to radiate off Dumbledore, who continued, "Lord Voldemort likes to operate in the shadows – it is _he_ , and only _he_ , who is responsible for the current chaos in the Wizarding world, something which will only get worse as more and more people join him."

James stole a glance at the Slytherin table, and was rather incensed to see some of the Slytherins in his year, including Mulciber and Rosier, laughing silently… He shook his head. If it were up to him, he'd have expelled those two bashi-bazouks before one could say 'James Potter'…

Dumbledore was speaking again. "Lord Voldemort – has a gift for spreading enmity, discord and antipathy. He incites infighting within the Wizarding community through bigotry and prejudice. He claims to be the person to 'purge' the Wizarding world of those he deems unworthy of possessing magic – but in reality, he's just a power-hungry tyrant who wants to control the Wizarding world."

"I told you – blood purity is ridiculous," whispered Sirius, but Liz quickly shushed him as Dumbledore continued, "Lord Voldemort recruits his followers by showing them false dreams of power, and claims to restore the Wizarding world to its 'former glory'. Several of his followers have received their education within the walls of this castle, and it is quite unfortunate how they've allowed themselves to align with a wizard who is nothing more than a liar and a murderer."

James shuddered slightly; Dumbledore seemed to radiate more heat than ever, making his presence even more powerful. He suddenly understood why Voldemort was afraid of the Headmaster…

"The only way to counter Lord Voldemort's growing influence –" continued Dumbledore, "—is by showing a bond of friendship, trust, and – _unity_. Several of you will graduate in a matter of months. It doesn't matter how good you are at magic, be it Charms, Transfiguration or Defence against the Dark Arts – if you're unable to make the correct choice between what is easy, and what is right. For it is our choices, not our abilities, that define who we really are."

An ominous silence followed Dumbledore's speech, and the Headmaster ploughed on, "I trust you all to make the correct choice. And now – _tuck in_."

The tension suddenly broke as the plates in front of them filled with delicious food. There was a great outbreak of chatter and laughing, but James's spirits failed to rise… His friends were animatedly discussing Dumbledore's speech, but he felt no desire to join in. The situation was looking grimmer and bleaker than before, and from what his Dad had told him, if the Ministry were shirking their responsibilities, they were all but giving Voldemort an invitation to escalate his reign of terror…

James's reticence continued after dinner as he made his way to the HQ with Lily. They engaged in some small talk, with Lily filling him in on how her parents had absolutely laid into Petunia following their disastrous dinner meeting, something which she'd failed to mention over her stay at Potter Mansion in an effort to 'not dampen the mood'. James provided appropriate responses to her tale, but he was distracted… Once at the HQ, he unpacked quickly and chose to lie on the sofa while Lily set up her bedroom, only rising when she told him that it was time for their patrol. He obediently made his way around the castle with her, his mood brightening slowly as they had a light-hearted conversation about career prospects, application to jobs which would be due by the end of March, and whether their DADA professor would proceed to the next stage of their Occlumency training, now that everyone had mastered the basics. James had a bit of trouble keeping his attention, however; every time they passed a broom cupboard, he had a strong, maddening urge to enter it, kiss Lily passionately, and proceed to do the rest…

"So," said Lily as they returned to the HQ; it was almost midnight, and her voice betrayed her tiredness. "Penny for your thoughts, James." She said is bluntly, and James raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, c'mon – don't give me that look!" she burst out. "I can't bear it any longer, you've been distracted ever since Dumbledore's speech –"

"I'm glad _someone_ noticed," said James dryly.

"I think there were about two portraits on the seventh floor who didn't," she retorted, a hint of laughter in her eyes that vanished quickly. She gave the password to Antoine l'ambiteux, who swung forward to let them in. "What's on your mind?"

"Hmm," said James, "It may take a while – d'you want to talk about this tomorrow? It's late, after all, and we've got lessons –"

"Nice try," she cut across him as she sat down on the sofa and indicated for him to join her. "Now – _spill_."

James sighed. "All right," he said, and sat down next to her. He explained his preoccupation briefly, with the conclusion that they needed to get out there as soon as they could before the Ministry gave Voldemort a free pass to exert his control over the Wizarding world…

"I understand," said Lily as he paused to take a breath; she'd listened to him silently and attentively. "It's unfortunate, and I understand that. But – what good will constantly thinking about it do? I mean, we're learning to fight – soon enough, we'll be joining the fight, along with several others. We're doing everything we can, James," she added gently.

"I know," he said softly, "But what if it isn't enough? Crouch is killing Death Eaters rather than capturing them – which gives no clue about Voldemort's whereabouts whatsoever. Besides, I'm sure these Death Eaters are dispensable – Voldemort couldn't care less about them… If one dies, he'll recruit ten more, won't he? There're people stupid enough or cruel enough to follow him… Why isn't Crouch using his head?" he exclaimed emphatically.

"I _know_ , sweetie," Lily said bleakly. "His attitude is – regrettable… But there are people who aren't as short-sighted, and there's Dumbledore doing everything he can." She squeezed his hand. "Look, brooding about it isn't going to solve anything," she said gently, but her voice had a firm note in it. "We need to _act_ – but you know as well as I do that we're not good enough. We need to learn everything we can if we're to stand any chance of making a difference in this war."

James took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. He didn't like what she was saying, but there was no doubt that she was right. "You're right," he said, giving her an intense look. She pulled him close to her and engulfed him in a hug. "I'm always right," she whispered wryly in his ear, and he chuckled. "Maybe," he acknowledged. He was already starting to feel better in her warm, comfortable embrace… She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he felt the primitive longing again. He slowly drew back and looked directly at her with a mischievous smile on his face.

"D'you – d'you want to?" he asked her, a lot more confidently than he felt, and winking at her suggestively. He indicated his bedroom, and Lily rolled her eyes. "Boys!" she exclaimed in amusement, "Oh – you're incorrigible!"

"I just meant – cuddling!" James responded, changing tack at the speed of light and blushing slightly.

Lily smirked in a most un-Lily-ish fashion which told him that she hadn't been fooled. Nonetheless, she said softly, "All right… Let me just change into my nightgown, and I'll join you in five minutes."

"That's my girl," he said, and gave her a lopsided grin before springing up and bounding towards his bedroom at top speed. The idea of snuggling in his warm bed with his girlfriend next to him was wonderful indeed…

A barrage of lessons descended upon the seventh-years as the week progressed, with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn all starting new topics in their respective lessons. These new topics were undoubtedly the hardest bits of magic that they'd be taught at Hogwarts, and each teacher wasted no time in telling them that they expected everyone's spellwork to be top-notch come Easter, following which the seventh-years would be writing their NEWTs. James wished that the teachers would stop reminding them of the NEWTs; with Quidditch practice, Head duties, and Order of the Phoenix training, he wasn't looking forward to the prospect of several nights with inadequate sleep…

James had hoped that Dumbledore would show up on Thursday at their session with Emily, but he was disappointed; it was only their former DADA teacher who stood alone in the room, waiting for everyone to arrive. She nodded and smiled at Lily and James before greeting everyone else before taking her place in the centre of the room, with every eye on her.

"So – for what it's worth, I hope you all had a good holiday," she said wryly. "Indeed – it has become of utmost importance that you all master the skills necessary for the battles that lie ahead of you – for the threat is only growing, and it will engulf us all if we're unable to fight back." A collective murmur of assent went around the room, and Emily continued, "We spent quite some time in the previous term learning defensive spells – I'm sure you can all demonstrate them to me without breaking into a sweat. We'll go through those today, just like we did during our last class before Christmas – I want to be absolutely sure that you've mastered these Spells before we move on." She gazed piercingly at every student, as if challenging them to show her their proficiency with what she'd taught them. "And towards the end of the hour, I will demonstrate the ancient piece of magic which is the epitome of all defensive spells."

"The Elemental Shield?" Lily asked curiously, unable to stop herself. James grinned as Emily answered with a little smile, "Precisely. Now, everyone – let's see how much you lot remember, and how much work needs to be done…"

They spent the bulk of the next forty-five minutes revising every single Spell that Emily had taught them the previous term – Healing Spells, the Spells which enhanced characteristics such as power and accuracy, and standard offensive and defensive Spells such as the Shield Charm, the Stunner, the Impediment Jinx. "All right," called Emily as the clock struck eight forty-five, "We have about fifteen minutes before we disperse. I believe you have all made excellent progress, and are ready to learn – _this_." With that, a ball of water suddenly appeared around her, shielding her from view. James watched closely as she kept it up for a few seconds before extinguishing it; but as she smiled towards them all, he saw something that caused his mouth to open in surprise.

Emily had no wand in her hand.

"How –?" he started to ask, but the teacher interrupted him, saying, "Very astute, James – I know what you're thinking, and you're absolutely right. This time, I cast this Spell – _without_ my wand."

She surveyed the astonished twenty-odd before continuing, "Yes, that's right – the Elemental Shield is the next on our list. With a little practise, you should be able to master it by mid-March. And afterwards –" there was a gleam in her doe-soft brown eyes, "—afterwards, we will be learning _wandless_ magic until the end of the summer term."

James exchanged an excited glance with Lily and Liz as Emily said, "Wandless magic – contrary to popular perception, is not that difficult. Indeed, the average wizarding child shows a certain degree of wandless magic before they set foot inside Hogwarts. The only reason most wizards use a wand, is to control and direct their magic – from their magical core, to their target."

She paused as the class took this in, before ploughing on. "If you're a skilled enough witch or wizard, you can channel your magic through any instrument – it needn't even be a wand. A wand will enhance your magic, no doubt – considering that it's a powerful magical object that can focus the caster's magic – rather like a convex lens, see?"

James saw Lily nod in understanding, but she was one of the few who did; most of the class looked confused with the analogy, and Emily smiled wryly. "Never mind," she said, "The point is – the wand allows the witch or wizard to be a lot more potent with their Spell-casting. In contrast, if not mastered, wandless magic can be – _wild_."

Her last word came out in a whisper, and a collective shudder ran across the class. Smirking slightly, Emily said, "But – that's what I'm going to teach you, once you master casting the Elemental Shield effectively. Mind you, wandless magic can burst out of you when you're angry, or when a degree of self-preservation is involved – but in order to control it, you need some training. Once you gain a certain level of proficiency over it, however, it can prove to be an effective tool – like _this_."

She suddenly pointed a finger towards Lily, and much to James's shock, fired a jet of red light towards her – but Lily was up to the task, and her lips didn't even move as she raised a quick Shield Charm around herself. The jet of red light harmlessly bounced off it before rebounding towards Emily, who simply jerked her head sideways to avoid it. "Well done, Lily," she complimented, a note of pride in her soft voice. "I knew you'd be able to react quickly – which made you the perfect guinea-pig." Lily glowed as Emily continued, "In any case, it was a simple Disarming Charm – the simplicity of the Spell decides its ease for wandless casting. And – with enough practice, you can learn to cast it using not just your fingers, but – theoretically, any part of your body."

She glanced towards James, whose eyes widened as he saw her doe-soft brown eyes glow red for a split second before a jet of red light headed his way; reacting just like Lily, a quick Shield Charm prevented his wand from leaving his hand. Emily gave him a little smile and a nod, before saying, "Yes, that's right – you never know who or what you'll be facing, so it's best to be prepared. As an old colleague of mine keeps saying – CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

She barked out the last two words before whipping out her wand; James barely had time to raise another Shield Charm before she began firing jets of light towards them all – through her wand, her fingers, and her eyes, too. He defended against or dodged the Spells that headed his way, but some of his classmates weren't so lucky – they either lost their wands, were hit by the Impediment Jinx, or, in case of Gavin Johnson and Roger Hathaway, Stunned. Galvanised into action, he retaliated with a volley of Hexes, but swore as Emily quickly raised an Elemental Shield to protect herself. Jets of light came thick and fast from behind the Water Shield in earnest (albeit with a reduced rate), and James was forced to defend for the time being. _Wow_ , he thought, _she's so fast! I thought I was fast – but this is incredible!_

"We need a plan!" he shouted as he non-verbally cast a Shield Charm around himself and Liz, who was closest, "Everyone – pairs of two, quickly! One person shields both, and the other attacks! Let's go!"

It worked; his classmates quickly heeded to his words, and several began to bombard the Water Shield with a variety of Hexes and Curses. However, much to James's consternation, Emily's rate of fire suddenly increased, forcing the defenders to maintain their Shield Charms (his eyes widened as Mary's quick Shield Charm stopped a jet of red light from hitting Lily). _How do we get past this Shield?_ he thought desperately, before the memory of their first lesson came to him… "Everyone – use the Air Wave! The incantation is ' _Tempestas_ '!" he shouted, and Lily spared him a quick and purposeful nod before doing as he said. The others followed suit, and James noted with satisfaction that Emily's Spells virtually stopped as the Water Shield felt the pressure from an element it was weak against; finally, after about half a minute, with a sound of cracking glass, the Water Shield broke to reveal an exhausted and panting Emily Walcott.

"Took you lot long enough," she managed to choke out, and much to their shock, she fainted before their very eyes.

"Emily!" several voices shouted at once, but Lily was the first one to reach the teacher's side. " _Consanesco! Rennervate!_ " she said quickly, and at once, Emily opened her eyes. She willingly took the hand that Lily offered her, and Sirius quickly Summoned a chair; Lily and Liz helped her into it, and she gazed at the worried faces around her. "Oh, c'mon!" she exclaimed, a hint of laughter in her eyes, "I'm _fine_ , you lot – there's no need to look so distressed!"

James felt his shoulders relax, and Emily continued, "Well – that's a common side effect of draining your energy at an alarmingly fast rate. Keeping up all those Spells against you all was no mean feat, even if I was only using three rather simple Spells which need only a bit of energy – the Disarming Charm, the Stunning Spell, and the Impediment Jinx. But the Elemental Shield is exceedingly difficult to keep up, as I'd mentioned in our very first lesson… You did break it eventually, but it still took a lot longer than it should have for more than twenty of you to get past one person's defence."

Her tone was stern, and she looked searchingly towards everyone in the room. Many of the students quailed under her steely gaze. "You already know how to break the Water Shield," she continued severely, her tone making it clear that she was unimpressed with what she'd seen. "If you'd started with gusts of air instead of wasting your energy raining Spells on it, you'd have broken through it a lot quicker… 'Coz _that_ , you lot, is the main characteristic of an Elemental Shield. Oh, yes," she added, her voice carrying a tiny note of excitement, "The Elemental Shield – can absorb _any_ and _every_ Spell thrown at it, except for the Unforgiveable Curses. And that – _that_ is what makes it such a powerful defence. Can anyone tell me why?"

James raised his hand tentatively, as did Ashley Bond and Roger Hathaway, who had apparently been revived by someone. Emily nodded at Ashley, who said, "You said that Spells are blips of energy – and if the Elemental Shield can absorb energy – that leaves the caster with more energy of their own to use for attacking Spells, since the Shield can be sustained by the opponent's Spells!" There was a hint of triumph in her blue eyes, and James felt a small stab of irritation; anything the Hogwarts Quidditch Captain did annoyed him these days.

"Very astute, Ashley," said Emily, her little smirk back in place. "But there's one more key point. Did you ever consider what happens if the Elemental Shield absorbs more energy than it needs to sustain itself?"

James raised his hand again, and this time, Emily said, "Yes, James?"

"The caster will gain energy," he said confidently; it was an educated guess at best, but he was sure of his answer. Emily grinned at him and said, "Precisely. What does this imply?"

"The Elemental Shield is best used when facing multiple opponents!" exclaimed Marlene. "Assuming that not many people are familiar with it, any Spell other than the Unforgiveables will just be absorbed, giving the caster a lot of time to attack!"

"Right," said Emily, nodding in assent. "That's quite correct, Marlene – allow me to add to your answer. You see – the Elemental Shield forms a potent defence, not because it allows the caster to attack, but simply because it allows him or her to escape while the opponents are engaged in trying to break the Shield. It has several uses, of which a fight or flight response seems to the best one."

"But –" began Marlene, but Emily held up a hand. "I admire your courage," she said softly, "But this is something you all must remember. Sometimes – the best course of action is to _retreat_. Yes, that's right," she said emphatically, as James raised his eyebrows. "If you _know_ that the odds are against you, self-preservation is key… Escaping will allow you to regroup and attack anew when another opportunity presents itself. I'm sure that some of you may disagree with this," she added, with a sly glance towards the Gryffindors in the group, "But – remember this. The war – it's a team effort. We're all on the same side, with one sole purpose – to defeat Voldemort. Which means – there's no need to die heroically by spurning a chance to escape, 'coz you're of no use to your team if you're already dead."

An ominous silence followed these words, and James stole a glance towards Peter, whose face was rather smug. Hadn't he said something similar a few nights ago? He could sort of see Peter's and Emily's point of view, but he didn't really agree with it… _I'm no coward_ , he thought firmly. _I'd rather die straight-backed and proud, than run away from battle…_

Emily was speaking again. "Think about it – I know that this sounds like the coward's way out, but trust me, it's _not_. It takes a special kind of bravery to acknowledge defeat and to recognise that one's heroic death will be in vain and serve no purpose. Remember – you may lose the battle, but our ultimate aim is to win the _war_ , and you're going to have to be alive in order to achieve that." She gazed piercingly at them all once again before saying, "Right – that'll do for today, I think. We'll start with the Elemental Shield next time – and once you all master that, it'll be time for wandless magic. And –" she paused, giving the entire class a piercing stare, "—next class onwards, I expect better from you all. Dismissed."

There was a sudden flurry of activity as everyone began to leave, rather subdued with Emily's sternness. A little concerned with Emily's fainting, James lingered, indicating for Sirius and the others to go on; he and Lily were probably the only ones from the entire class who knew about Emily's secret, and he wanted to make sure she was all right before he left for the night. He noticed Lily talking quietly to Emily and smiled; clearly, his girlfriend was thinking along the same lines…

"Emily," said James as he joined her and Lily; they were the only ones remaining in the room. "Are you all right? You didn't faint because of – _it_ , did you?"

Emily smiled at him. "Sweet of you to ask, James – but no. As I was explaining to Lily here, I lost consciousness because of the effort – I suppose it was too much, what with this stupid Curse in my ankle, after all." Her tone was light, but James didn't mistake the bitterness in her voice. He bowed his head slightly before asking, "Does it affect how long you can keep up certain Spells?"

"I'm afraid so," Emily said, a little heavily. "But – things aren't as bleak as they seem." She looked away, and James exchanged a confused look with Lily. Whatever did Emily mean?

"What d'you mean, Emily?" Lily asked curiously.

Emily turned towards them, and for the first time, James thought he saw a glimmer of hope in her doe-soft eyes – a faint one, at best, but it was there, nonetheless. "Well, you see," she said, "A few days ago, I was contacted by a St Mungo's Healer – Mildred Rodham. D'you know her?"

"I've met her once," said Lily, nodding.

"Well – she told me they'd made a breakthrough with the cure for this particular Curse," said Emily, with a small smile. James could see that she was trying hard to not get her hopes up, but there was no denying that she was coming around to the idea that she may live longer than six more months, after all. "You see," she continued, "Healer Rodham had worked on me when I was rescued, and she'd been the one to contain the Curse. I suspect that Dumbledore informed her that the Curse was spreading sometime after I told him, and she began to research it with her friend – Madeleine –"

"McKinnon?" Lily interrupted, her eyes wide. James raised his eyebrows; how had Lily guessed?

"That's the one," said Emily, nodding. "Marlene's mother, isn't she?"

"That's right," said Lily, sounding a little breathless. "At one of Professor Slughorn's Christmas parties, Healer Rodham had mentioned that she works quite closely with Mrs McKinnon on developing newer and stronger healing potions –"

"Precisely," said Emily, with a satisfied sort of smile. "It appears that in her research, Mrs McKinnon has made some progress – and she's hopeful that she can find a cure for me before it's – it's too late." She said the last two words softly, and Lily immediately patted her shoulder. "She will," she said firmly. "Mrs McKinnon is one of the best Magical Researchers there is – if someone can find a cure, it's her."

"Healer Rodham also told me that Pamela Burke – another Magical Researcher who apparently taught DADA here last year – working with Mrs McKinnon," said Emily thoughtfully.

James exchanged another glance with Lily before saying, "Er – yeah, Professor Burke taught here. Or we thought she did – but that's a story for another time," he added quickly, in response to Emily's inquiring look. "The point is – you may be cured, you have some of the best brains in the magical community working on it!"

"Seems like a high-priority project," said Lily thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well – considering that I wasn't the first person on which that horrible Curse was used, and I won't be the last," said Emily darkly.

"There were others?" said Lily, aghast.

"Yup," said Emily bitterly. "You see – Voldemort's supporters are well-trained in the Dark Arts, which are continuously mutating and evolving into deadlier and dangerous forms. For instance – after afflicting several people with this Curse, there was that business with the Widerwille Potion – where, I'm told, you two are the ones to thank for figuring that one out –" she grinned widely at them, a grin which they both returned. "And last year," Emily continued, "Those accursed Death Eaters used obscure poisons! Ever-changing, varied techniques to cause pain – fighting the Dark Arts is like fighting the Hydra!"

"Hydra?" asked James, nonplussed.

"It's a monster in Greek mythology," supplied Lily. "A many-headed monster… If one head was chopped off, two grew in its place."

"Precisely," said Emily, as James frowned; this Hydra seemed like a horrible sort of monster, just like the Dark Arts. "The Dark Arts keep mutating constantly, which makes its practitioners difficult enemies to deal with," Emily ploughed on. "By the time a cure for one Curse or poison is developed, there are ten more obscure ones to cause more havoc…"

James shook his head dispiritedly. If their enemy was so powerful, how in the world were they going to fight it?

"It was only when two people died after being cursed with the same one used on me that the Ministry took notice," said Emily, her tone making it clear that she disapproved of the Ministry's laxity. "Dumbledore probably nudged them to redouble their effort…" She locked eyes with James. "There's only a remote chance that I may be cured," she said, "But – so long as there is hope, I won't lose it."

"Right," said James, nodding firmly.

"Well – thank you for checking on me," said Emily briskly, standing up. "You had better go back to your quarters – long day tomorrow, isn't it?"

A little disconcerted with the abrupt dismissal, James just nodded as Lily said, "Yes." They exchanged goodbyes with their teacher before exiting the room.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if Marlene's Mum develops a cure for Emily's Curse?" Lily said, grinning as they walked back to the HQ. "It was _so_ good to hear that – Heaven knows we could do with some good news from time to time, especially after the New Year's Day attacks!"

"You're right," said James, grinning back at his girlfriend. "We _can't_ give up hope – and hearing that certainly felt great!"

"D'you think it'll work?" Lily asked him. "The cure?"

"Dunno," said James, shrugging. "But for the sake of Emily and her son – I hope so," he added sincerely.

"Likewise," said Lily.

 _It would certainly be wonderful_ , thought James. The Dark Side has been on a hot streak of causing pain this year… But he didn't intend to sit back. Once he graduated, he would join the war, and for the enemies getting in his way, so much the better for him, and so much the worse for them…

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As January wore on, James found that he had even less time than he'd thought to do the mountain of homework that lay waiting for him every night at the HQ. Quidditch practice took up a sizeable chunk of his time; the next match of the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup wasn't until late February, but the Hogwarts Quidditch team would be travelling to Beauxbatons for the next match of the 3QT at the end of the month. James wasn't particularly happy about the prospect of playing another match during cold conditions, but there was no way around it; the 3QT schedule was not flexible. And so, he helped Ashley Bond conduct Quidditch practice for the Whites without complaint, though they barely spoke… The Hogwarts Captain was still acting grumpy towards him, but assuming that Lily's cousin Matt was correct in his assessment, he at least had a handle on the problem. The only question was _when_ he would do something about it…

"You'll be just fine, James," said Lily soothingly the Hogwarts Quidditch team stood in the centre of the Quidditch pitch that Friday afternoon before the match, waiting for their portkeys to activate. As before, the rest of the school had come to see them off; several students would be travelling for the match the next day (James wasn't sure if all students had come to see them play at Durmstrang). He smiled at his girlfriend and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I hope you're right," he whispered, and with a little wave at her, he made his way to where his teammates were standing. He placed a finger on the old, rusted tin that Sirius, Liz and Marlene were clutching, and exchanged a final nod with Lily as the tin glowed blue… They sped along for a few seconds before his feet touched solid ground again; he let go of the tin and looked around immediately, realising that they were surrounded by mountains on three sides. To his right stood an enormous black castle, contrasting brilliantly against the snow-capped mountains behind it.

"Woah," said Sirius, looking at the castle in wonder as several of their teammates materialised next to them, followed shortly by Professor Dumbledore and Madam Hooch. "Beautiful!" said Liz softly, taking in their surroundings, "I wonder where we are!"

"Deep within the Pyrenees, Miss Huntington," said Dumbledore with a small smile, "Or, _les Pyrénées_ , as the French call them… Ahh, here comes Professor LePetit to welcome us!"

James followed the Headmaster's gaze, and spotted the short, grey-haired Beauxbatons Headmaster making his way towards them with a couple of students, but his eyes widened when he spotted the woman on his right – for she was easily the largest woman he'd ever seen. She was about eight feet tall, with olive skin, brown hair and a beaky nose. He noted that despite her size, however, she moved very gracefully, and her face held the same welcoming smile that the Beauxbatons Headmaster carried.

" _Bon après-midi, chers invités!_ " he greeted them enthusiastically. " _S'il vous plaît_ – allow me to eentroduce Madame Maxime, Deputy 'eadmistress of Beauxbatons –" he indicated the woman, "—and our 'ead students – Amandine Rouge and Richard Lange." The two head students smiled at the Hogwarts delegation in greeting, and Madame Maxime said, " _Bienvenue à l'académie de Beauxbatons._ "

" _Merci beaucoup_ ," said Dumbledore courteously, shaking hands with Professor LePetit and kissing Madame Maxime's extended hand. "We're delighted to be here, thank you."

"I zink zat ze match tomorrow – will be _fantastique, n'est ce pas?_ " said Professor LePetit enthusiastically, as the Hogwarts delegation began to follow him towards their castle. James was just about to tell Sirius that he was somewhat unimpressed with the Beauxbatons welcoming committee (the entire Hogwarts student body had arrived to greet the Beauxbatons team when _they'd_ arrived in Britain) when he noticed several students in blue robes waiting near the castle entrance. The students began to clap and parted to form a path to the castle entrance as Professor LePetit and the rest of the party walked towards them, forming a sort of guard of honour… Heartened, James and the others looked around and exchanged smiles with a few students – That's more like it, he thought with a self-satisfied smile. He and Ashley even paused to shake hands with Anika Bakker and Abel Kowalski (the Beauxbatons team Captain and Vice-Captain) before entering the huge castle.

James noted that there were six tables in the Beauxbatons equivalent of the Great Hall, and deduced that it meant six Houses… They were quite crowded, too; the size of the student body seemed to be at least three times that of Hogwarts. He and his fellow team members sat down at the same table as Anika Bakker and the Head Girl, Amandine Rouge; the two girls seemed to be good friends, and they happily volunteered interesting information about their school as they ate…

Beauxbatons, James learned, was founded in 1252 by a French Wizard named Alexandre de Molay, along with a few other learned witches and wizards in Continental Europe. Alexandre's son, Jean de Monay, was one of Beauxbatons' first students, and he went on to become the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, a combined Muggle and Wizarding military order who were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Other famous students included the alchemist Nicolas Flamel (who was reportedly more than six-hundred-and-fifty years old), Jean I, Duke of Alençon (who was killed in the Battle of Agincourt), and the German inventor Johannes Gutenberg (who dabbled in Muggle Studies following his graduation and successfully invented something called the 'printing press'). James listened, fascinated, as Anika and Amandine enthusiastically told them that soon after the school started, a type of Translation ward was placed over it to overcome the communication gap between students who came from all parts of Europe. The ward ensured that every student heard other people speak in his or her mother tongue, albeit with an accent derived from the speaker's own mother tongue. "For example," said Amandine, "I am speaking een French right now, but you will just hear me speak Eenglish with a French accent."

"That's right!" exclaimed Liz. "Golly – this is mighty grand! Am I speaking French to you? I don't even speak the language!" she said, looking rather excited.

James grinned as Amandine gave Liz a patronizing sort of smile. "But of course," she replied, "The Eenglish accent to your French is most charming."

They all laughed, and James was struck by a sudden thought. "Hang on," he said slowly, "D'you think such a ward exists at Hogwarts and Durmstrang, too?"

"Dat is possible," said Anika, with a trace of a Dutch accent, "But – it is a question for your Headmaster."

"Right," said James, nodding as he finished his Marble Cake; there were quite a few traditional British puddings at the table, but he was happy to eat Continental food for a change. By the looks of it, so was the rest of the team… They'd clearly enjoyed themselves, speaking with several friendly Beauxbatons students – save for Ashley Bond and the other Slytherins, who had generally kept to themselves… James sighed. _After the match_ , he thought resolutely. _Once we're back at Hogwarts, I'll talk to Ashley…_

As the last of the plates cleared, Professor LePetit stood up. "I 'ope our guests enjoyed tonight's meal," he said, with an imperious look at the Hogwarts team. James nodded happily, and Professor LePetit continued, "Mademoiselle Rouge and 'err Lange will take you all to your quarters. Ze match weel begeen at four o'clock tomorrow – yes, eet ees a Beauxbatons tradition to begeen matches in ze afternoon." He smiled and added, "Zis means – both teams are free to use ze Quidditch pitch to train tomorrow – in ze morning or ze early afternoon."

"Excellent," said Sirius briskly, but he was shushed by Liz, much to James's amusement; it appeared as if Liz was slowly but surely reducing Sirius's impulsiveness. "All right," boomed Professor LePetit, "All ze best to both teams tomorrow! Zat will be all!"

There was a great deal of chatter as the students rose to go to their respective dormitories, but the Hogwarts Quidditch team was directed to a chamber off the Great Hall which would serve as their quarters for the night. Like Durmstrang, there were separate dormitories for boys and girls. Amandine and Richard wished them all goodnight and good luck for the next day's match before departing, and Ashley promptly scheduled a training session for the next day, at eleven o'clock which would be overseen by Madam Hooch (James supposed that she'd had a word with their coach). She added that she would go over tactics following the session, before making her way towards the girls' dormitory. Sighing inwardly again, James snuggled under his comfortable blankets, hoping against hope that the next day's match would go better than the one against Durmstrang…

Saturday dawned cloudy and cold, and the Whites' training session ended in disaster as a ferociously mis-hit Bludger from Mike MacDougal ended up hitting Claire on the head, knocking her off her broom… Luckily, James and Brenda Hastings, who were closest, managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but the Beauxbatons Matron ruled her out of that afternoon's match following a quick initial examination, much to everyone's dismay. Luckily, Claire didn't suffer a fracture, and it was only after conducting a through check-up that the Beauxbatons Matron allowed her to start on the bench, with the recommendation of not participating in the match as a precaution. The final decision rested with Madam Hooch, who concurred with the Matron, but pleas from Ashley, James and Claire herself caused the coach to finally relent and permit Claire to play _if_ called upon by the Captain.

Finally, following lunch, the Hogwarts team was given a pep talk by Madam Hooch, who went over the starting lineup with Ashley afterwards: Ashley, James and Gavin would be playing as Chasers, Sirius and Brenda Hastings as Beaters, Regulus Black as the Seeker, and much to James's displeasure, Thorfinn Rowle as the Keeper. He scowled inwardly; more than half the team were Slytherins, and he disliked Rowle with all his heart. But they simply _had_ to win today – they couldn't lose, for if they did, they'd be in danger of failing to qualify for the final. And so, he swallowed his pride, and nodded briefly as Ashley and Madam Hooch went over tactics… They were to attack with their usual formation, with Gavin winning the Quaffle and passing to either James or Ashley. Madam Hooch went over a couple of other moves to be used only when necessary, and concluded by wishing them all the best and departing to take her place in the stands.

"Right, you lot," said Ashley briskly, "We've beaten them once – we can beat them again. Just – no funny stuff, a nice clean game from us, and before we know it, we'll have qualified for the final! On three, then – one – two –"

"Go Whites!" they all cried, before making their way towards the changing rooms. They changed into their White robes, and took their places near the entrance to the Quidditch pitch… The afternoon sun hung low in the sky as the commentator called their names one by one, and before long, both teams had assembled in the centre of the pitch. James quickly looked around the stadium and found Lily, who beamed and waved at him enthusiastically… His heart feeling lighter at once, he watched Ashley shake hands with Anika Bakker before Referee Olsen released the Snitch, the Bludgers, and finally, the Quaffle with a short blast from his whistle to indicate the start of the match.

"They're off!" boomed Aaron Diggory as James kicked off from the ground and immediately made for the Quaffle; however, Lopez got there first, and passed it to Kowalski. Gritting his teeth, James made his way up the pitch as Kowalski dodged a Bludger from Sirius, before passing to Berger – but Gavin intercepted and shot forward. He tried a long pass to James, who caught it, grinning; Gavin was excellent with the intercept-and-pass tactic, and usually managed to pass the Quaffle within a second after intercepting it… James's grin widened as he shot the Quaffle past Tony Russo, and Diggory shouted enthusiastically, "Potter scores! First blood to Hogwarts, who lead ten-nil!"

The Hogwarts supporters cheered and clapped, and James felt heartened… Whatever their struggles as a team, whatever their infighting, they were still excellent, and they could win this…

Ashley scored, and James scored twice more, taking the score to forty-nil. At this stage, Anika Bakker called a time-out, and there was a five-minute stoppage in play; however, instead of using that time to go over tactics, Ashley simply said, "That's it, team – keep doing what you're doing, we're in a good position!" She then proceeded to have a word with Rowle, who nodded, looking a little nervous… It was, after all, his first match in white robes, and he hadn't been tested so far by the opposing Chasers.

The referee resumed play with a sharp blast of his whistle, and James shot off at once… He made for the Quaffle, but as before, Lopez beat him to it. Cursing, he watched as she threw a long pass to Kowalski, who dodged a Bludger skilfully before putting the Quaffle neatly through Rowle's right hoop. The crowd cheered wildly, and Diggory shouted, "Kowalski scores! It looks like the Hogwarts team was caught a bit off-guard…"

It was slowly going from bad to worse. There was a marked change in the Beauxbatons team's tactics; they were playing aggressive, risky Quidditch while at the same time, holding firm defensively. It didn't take long for James to figure out what they were doing: Bakker was hovering around near the Hogwarts hoops, choosing to target Rowle as soon as the Quaffle entered the scoring area, distracting the Keeper enough to not let him make any saves – and at the other end, Wagner would hit Bludgers at the Chaser in possession, distracting them for long enough to provide Tony Russo a precious two seconds to adjust his position and save the goal. James had to admit that these were excellent tactics; it was forcing Sirius and Brenda Hastings to be reactive rather than proactive, and Bakker and Wagner kept switching their positions continuously, successfully catching the Hogwarts Beaters out of position more than once.

The Beauxbatons lead began to build steadily, and buoyed by their supporters, they began to overpower and flatten the Hogwarts team. James valiantly scored three more goals, while Gavin and Ashley scored a goal apiece (Gavin even scored a penalty), but their opponents were playing exceptionally well, and the scoreboard kept becoming more and more lopsided. Frustration was beginning to build, and James immediately signalled Ashley for a timeout to regroup and recover. Thankfully, she called it, and they all hurtled to the ground.

"We're being flattened, Captain," said James without preamble. "What's the score now – two-thirty to hundred? We need to catch the Snitch, and we need to do it soon!" He glanced at Regulus as he spoke, and the latter grimaced. "I'm trying, Potter," he said through gritted teeth, "But you lot aren't even scoring –"

"Watch it, little brother," snapped Sirius, "James has scored thrice as many goals as your Captain –"

"I'm also _your_ Captain, Black," interrupted Ashley, her tone icy. "You'll do well to remember that."

"I will when you start acting like one," said Sirius scornfully.

"Enough!" James said loudly. "Shut up, Sirius – _not now._ "

There was a tense silence as Sirius glared at James, but didn't say anything. "Right," said Ashley briskly, "If we're to win this match, there's only one way – _catch the Snitch_." She emphasised the last three words and gave Regulus an intense look as she spoke. He gave her a purposeful nod, and said, "I'm on it, Captain."

"In the meantime," continued Ashley, "We're going to change tactics – we're going all out." She glanced at James and Gavin. "That means – we'll all be ahead of the half-line… We attack, and we peg them back. There will be no long passes from their side – and if they manage to get one down the pitch, the Beaters target the receiver, and the Keeper catches the Quaffle and throws it to one of the Chasers, who must try to spend as much time in their half as possible. Is that understood?"

James nodded; it sounded like a risky strategy, but they didn't really have a choice… "That can work," he said, "But only if Rowle here leaves the goalposts – Bakker's got him pegged back, and he's too much of a coward to take a hit from a Bludger if it means saving a sure goal." He glared at the huge Slytherin as he spoke, and Rowle actually took a step towards him, his eyes menacing. "What did you say, blood traitor?" he hissed, his voice furious.

"Shut up, Rowle!" Ashley snapped suddenly. "And just for that – you're _out_. That's right," she added as James and Rowle both looked at her with identical, shocked expressions, "In this team, we do not – I repeat, _we do not_ – tolerate abuse based on blood status. Now get out – on the bench you go." Rowle did not budge, and Ashley's blue eyes narrowed; James saw a fire in them that he'd never seen before… "I will tell you one more time – get out of my sight!" she shouted. Turning to the bench, she hollered, "Claire! Think you can play for the rest of the match?"

At that, Claire jogged over towards them, broomstick in hand. She still looked a little weak, but her jaw was determined as she nodded firmly. "I'm ready," she said, as Ashley gave Rowle another scorching glare; the latter turned on his heel and stalked off furiously. "Right," said Ashley, her voice remarkably calm, "Here's what we're going to do, Claire…" After a quick explanation, Ashley went off to talk to Professor Olsen about the substitution, leaving a rather shocked team in her wake…

James felt his respect for Ashley rise immensely. Regardless of their recent less-than-friendly feelings towards one another, Ashley had not only defended him, but she'd also kicked Rowle off the pitch for calling him a blood traitor… _That was mighty grand of her_ , he thought, before remembering what Lily had told him – Ashley Bond was a half-blood, and it was evident that she'd taken Rowle's insult almost as personally as he had. _Well, he had it coming to him_ , James thought wryly as Ashley re-joined them; a few seconds later, Referee Olsen blew his whistle, and they were back in the air.

Ashley's last-ditch tactics were working; using Claire as a makeshift fourth Chaser allowed the Whites to score three quick goals, but Beauxbatons cottoned on to that remarkably fast, and soon managed to cut through their defence and score four goals of their own. James took a shot on goal from quite a distance, and almost scored; however, Russo saved at the last second, much to his frustration – and Berger scored at the other end, adding insult to injury.

"Berger scores!" yelled Diggory, as Berger did a lap of honour around the pitch in celebration, making rude hand gestures at the Hogwarts supporters, "Two-eighty to one-thirty for the home team!"

 _It's over_ , thought James hopelessly, wanting nothing more than the match to end… But just as he resignedly grabbed the Quaffle and took his position to shoot, the referee blew his whistle… He turned around in time to see Regulus Black rising higher and higher, his hand raised in triumph. Hope filled his heart at once, and his joy was confirmed when Diggory yelled, "It's a _tie!_ Regulus Black has caught the Snitch – but both teams are tied at two-eighty points!"

The Hogwarts team immediately converged on Regulus, but the celebrations were limited. "Good catch, Regulus," said Ashley, patting him on the back, "You've given us a second chance… A chance we probably don't deserve," she added severely, looking at James and Gavin. Before he could respond indignantly, however, Ashley flew off towards the referee, no doubt to receive instructions for the penalty shootout that was to follow…

"Close shave, mate," Sirius said to James, sounding relieved. It appeared that he'd forgotten James's reprimand to him a few minutes ago.

"Yeah," agreed James, just as Diggory announced, "And so – thanks to a wonderful, crucial catch by Regulus Black – the match will go to penalties to determine the winner. The referee is with both Captains now…"

The sun was setting as James and the others looked on while the referee gave instructions to Ashley and Anika Bakker. Just like during the Quidditch World Cup, the stadium itself began to emanate its own light as daylight itself began to fade, but James was too tense to appreciate the sophistication of the magic… Finally, Ashley zoomed towards them, looking grim. "Slightly different rules, you lot," she said tersely, "It starts like the usual – five penalties for each team – and if the scores are still level, it'll be –"

"Golden Goal?" interrupted James, but Ashley shook her head. "No," she said shortly, with a touch of asperity. "It's something they're calling 'Sudden Death'… If the scores are level after five penalties, the Chasers take more penalties, one-by-one. If one Chaser misses and the other scores, that will be that – the scoring Chaser's team wins the match!"

"Hmm," said James thoughtfully, as he heard Diggory announce the rules to the crowd, "Doesn't sound very friendly."

"It isn't," said Ashley, and James saw tension in her blue eyes. "Apparently, the International Quidditch Federation wants to implement in all domestic and international knockout Quidditch matches, and the 3QT organisers agreed to give it a test run in this tournament – just a week ago, as the referee told me and Anika." She shook her head. "And what's more, they're going first – home advantage, see? That means we'll always be under pressure to score."

"Don't worry – we can do this," said James reassuringly. "How're you feeling, Claire?" he added to the Keeper, who gave him a purposeful nod. "I'm fine," she said, "Just a little sore, but otherwise fine."

"Good," said Ashley, "'Coz we need you to save as many goals as you can, Claire… We don't want Regulus's effort to go in vain, now, do we?"

"No," said Sirius, much to James's surprise. "It's all up to the four of you now – the four House Captains. Fitting, isn't it?"

"Potter – you're taking two penalties," said Ashley, ignoring Sirius completely. "You've never missed a penalty – _ever_ – which means, those are two surefire goals _._ "

"Blimey, thanks for the vote of confidence," said James, a little surprised at the compliment. "No pressure at all," he added wryly.

"I'll take two, myself," continued Ashley, "Which leaves one for Gavin –"

"Yes," said Gavin, "And I'd like to go third, Captain."

"All right," said Ashley, nodding in agreement. "Potter – you can go first and last, and I'll take the rest. Think you can handle that?" she added, with a teensiest note of derision in her voice. He bristled inwardly, but kept his face smooth as he said, "Yes – you said it yourself, I've never missed one."

"Good – keep it that way," said Ashley, just as the referee flew up to them. "Ready?" he asked Ashley, who nodded; Claire gave everyone the thumbs-up before shooting off towards the goalposts. "I hope she can do it," said Gavin, a little fretfully. "She still looks a bit peaky…"

"Claire's tough," said James firmly, just as Diggory announced, "As Claire Palmer takes her position, referee Olsen passes the Quaffle to Ximena Lopez – who is going to take the first penalty for _Les Bleus_ … Here she comes, and – SCORES!" The crowd cheered enthusiastically as Diggory continued, "Maybe that's why she went first, for it never looked in doubt – it's one-nil to the hosts!"

Shaking his head, James zoomed forward, and the referee promptly tossed the Quaffle to him just as Tony Russo took his position. James couldn't help it, he smiled; Russo had made some incredible saves that night, but he, James, had beaten him more times than Ashley and Gavin put together. "It's James Potter for Hogwarts," boomed Diggory, "Potter's never missed a penalty in nearly six years of playing Quidditch –"

James flew forward at the referee's whistle, aiming for the centre hoop; however, he changed direction at the last second, going left before throwing the Quaffle at Russo's left hoop with full force, and jubilantly saw it sail through. He punched the air as Diggory continued, "—and he makes it one-one, no surprises there!"

James happily flew back to his teammates, exchanging a nod with Ashley as Claire took her position again. "Paul Berger!" shouted Diggory, as the Chaser in question moved forward with deliberate slowness, feinting this way and that before throwing the Quaffle; however, a huge groan echoed across the stadium as he missed the three hoops completely, and Diggory announced, "And he's blazed his shot five feet above Palmer's left hoop – after an exaggerated approach! Seemed like an _age_ before he took the shot – it remains one-one with an early advantage for Hogwarts!"

"Good luck, Skipper!" Gavin called as Ashley flew off to take her own penalty. "The Hogwarts Captain – on her way to capitalise on Berger's miss," boomed Diggory, as the Hogwarts supporters clapped and cheered. _C'mon, Bond!_ thought James fervently as the referee blew his whistle; Ashley shot forward, but threw the Quaffle from farther away than she'd intended – resulting in a tame shot that was gleefully pouched by Tony Russo. James swore loudly as the Beauxbatons supporters cheered and jeered in equal measure, as Diggory shouted, "SAVED by Russo! It stays all square!"

Ashley flew back to the team morosely, but James wisely chose to say nothing. He just patted her shoulder gently and turned his attention back to the shootout, but not before shaking his head slightly at Sirius, who had opened his mouth to (obviously) berate Ashley for her miss. Sirius closed his mouth at once, looking sullen.

"Here's Abel Kowalski," announced Diggory. "Kowalski against Palmer – SCORES! Puts it very neatly into the right hoop – it's two-one to the hosts!"

"Go for it, Gavin," said James as Gavin shot forward to take his penalty. He watched with bated breath as Diggory boomed, "Gavin Johnson for the Whites – remember, he scored a penalty earlier today, during the match –"

But a second later, the Hogwarts supports groaned collectively as Gavin's shot bounced off the left hoop. "Oh, but the pressure's too much this time!" shouted Diggory, and James heard a hint of disbelief in his voice. "And suddenly, the Whites – who had the advantage two minutes ago – now trail two-one!"

"I'm sorry – I'm so sorry," Gavin whispered as he joined the team; he was trembling, as if the magnitude of his penalty miss was hitting him. "Hey, it's all right, mate," said James comfortingly, putting an arm around his shoulders, "Trust Claire – she'll save a penalty, just you wait!"

"And it's going to be Berger again!" shouted Diggory, and James turned his attention back to the shootout. "Paul Berger, who missed his previous penalty, gets a second chance… And he seems to be telling Palmer where he's going to shoot!" James watched with undisguised surprise as Berger pointed at Claire's right; really, was he being arrogant, or just plain stupid? _I hope Claire saves that bloody bashi-bazouk's shot_ , he thought angrily. _What does he even have to be smug about? He was pathetic tonight!_

"Oh, and Berger shoots it tamely wide!" boomed Diggory, with a hint of amusement in his voice. "It stays two-one – Berger's missed his second penalty, too!" The Hogwarts supporters booed and jeered at Paul Berger as he flew back to his team, shaking his head… _Serves you right_ , thought James triumphantly. _Why did you have to be such a sea-gherkin?_

As Russo took his position in front of the hoops, Ashley flew off to take her penalty without so much as a word to anyone else. James supposed that she was still brooding about her earlier miss… _Well, Bond_ , he thought, _you were made Captain for a reason… Now's the time you show us why!_

"And here's the Hogwarts Captain, with a second chance, as well!" announced Diggory. "She missed a penalty earlier – but it won't matter now, if she scores this!"

A second later, James let out a huge sigh of relief as Ashley neatly put her penalty away with minimal fuss. "And she does!" Diggory shouted enthusiastically over the cheers from the crowd. "And _emphatically_ so – it's two-two, and dear me, it's Sudden Death already!"

"So it is," said Sirius, frowning. "Sooner than expected!"

"Yep," said James, as Ashley flew back towards them triumphantly. "You better not miss, Potter," she said, speaking for the first time since the shootout began. James only gave her a reassuring nod as Ximena Lopez took her position for Beauxbatons' final penalty. "Here's Lopez – she's already scored one –" boomed Diggory, his voice thick with anticipation. Lopez flew forward and shot the Quaffle powerfully towards Claire's right – but the Hogwarts Keeper had guessed correctly, and she held on to the Quaffle with her fingertips to make a fine save.

"—but she can't score another!" announced Diggory gleefully as the Hogwarts supporters let out triumphant cheers. James and the rest of the team exchanged gleeful overhead claps as Diggory continued, "A spectacular fingertip save from Claire Palmer puts Hogwarts on the brink of victory!"

"This is it, Potter," said Ashley, her face a smooth mask as she gave him a purposeful nod. "Go on, then."

"Gladly," he responded, before zooming off to take his position… The referee passed him the Quaffle as Tony Russo hovered in front of the hoops, and James, narrowing his eyes in concentration, tried to detach himself from his train of thought…

He was close, _so_ close, to winning this match for Hogwarts. He'd fought tooth and nail in front of the hoops tonight, scoring as many goals as he could, but due to some brilliant opposition tactics, and a Keeper about as useful as a fake wand while duelling Voldemort, they'd been flattened and thoroughly outplayed before Regulus had caught the Snitch. Indeed, James couldn't remember ever being in a match where they'd trailed so badly with no hopes of pulling back; the penalty shootout was a stroke of fortune, and if he was being honest with himself, Beauxbatons deserved to win this match more than Hogwarts did. And yet, here he was, on the brink of victory and triumph…

"It's James Potter – who's had a good match, who will take the final penalty of the shootout –"

The referee blew his whistle, and James shot forward… He thought of all the times Ashley Bond had shirked her duties as Captain, turning a blind eye towards the discord within the team and choosing a path of pettiness instead. He thought about how he'd had to take charge several times tonight, direct plays, and pretty much do everything as if _he_ were Captain. He thought of the chance he had now, to score the final penalty – and give the win to his team. Then no one would remember what a fiasco the match had been – they'd only remember that it was _he_ , James bleeding Potter, who handed them the victory –

As he confessed later, he'd allowed himself to get distracted, which is why it shouldn't really have been a surprise. It could, however, be classified as a shock.

"—and _he's_ put it high! There's no end to this!"

Time seemed to come to a standstill as James despairingly watched the Quaffle fly two feet over the right hoop. He couldn't believe it; he felt as if his insides were made of lead as he numbly registered the Beauxbatons supporters celebrating, and Tony Russo punching the air in triumph. It was as if he was looking on at the scene from the outside: the Keeper, still celebrating; the opposing team, exchanging overhead claps and hugs; the crowd, cheering and booing in equal measure, and the shell-shocked Chaser in the middle of it all, unable to believe that for the first time in his entire life, he'd _missed_ a penalty – and it couldn't have come at a worse moment.

Then a voice came out of nowhere, or so it seemed for James. "Prongs – c'mon, mate," said the voice, and James dumbly looked at Sirius, who had come to a halt in front of him. "Let's go – they need to take their next penalty," Sirius continued, and James allowed his best friend to shepherd him back to where the rest of the team was perched in mid-air. He only barely registered what seemed like a comforting pat from Ashley Bond, but just like he'd held his tongue earlier, she extended the same courtesy to him now…

"I'm sorry," he managed to choke out at last, as Claire took her position in front of the hoops, "I messed up."

"Don't sweat it, mate – we'll get another chance," said Gavin bracingly, clapping him on the back. "Like you said – trust Claire!"

"Here's Kowalski – and he SCORES!" announced Diggory. "Beauxbatons lead again, and Hogwarts need to score in order to stay in this match!"

"I'll make sure of that," said Gavin, his jaw clenched. He flew off to take the Quaffle from the referee, and ten seconds later, James's heart leapt to his mouth as he heard the despairing clang of the Quaffle hitting the ring; however, it sailed through the hoop, and Diggory boomed, "And Johnson SCORES, too – but his heart must've skipped a beat when the Quaffle hit the ring!"

"Well, _mine_ certainly did," said Brenda Hastings, who had been silent throughout the shootout. "But we're still in it!"

Gavin flew back with a relieved grin on his face. "Told you I'd make sure we stay in the match!" he said, but Sirius smacked him lightly on the head. "Imbecile! You could've made it less tense!" he exclaimed, and Gavin gave him a rueful smile.

"Here's Lopez again!" shouted Diggory. "Oooh – she SCORES, though Palmer got her fingertips onto the Quaffle but couldn't hold on – _Les Bleus_ are back in the lead!"

"Not for long," said Ashley grimly, and shot off with her back rigid and her head held high. "C'mon – she simply _has_ to score!" exclaimed James. He couldn't _bear_ that the shootout had gone into sudden death because of his miss…

"Here's the Captain for the Whites!" boomed Diggory. "Russo's hovering in front of the hoops, waving his arms to put her off, by the looks of it –"

"Come on, Ashley!" Gavin shouted, as Ashley shot forward. She went right, and the crowd let out a collective gasp as she raised her hand to shoot, feinted, tossed the Quaffle into her left hand, and shot in the left hoop instead – completely wrong-footing Tony Russo, who ended up looking a little silly. James felt disbelief for a second as he questioned the logic of using the _Kühne_ (an audacious penalty technique first used by the legendary Prussian Chaser Dennis Kühn in 1902) when their backs were against the wall – but it didn't matter, she'd scored, and she'd kept them in the match. And so, he celebrated with the rest of the team as Ashley punched the air before letting out a roar of celebration; it looked like she'd been holding it back for a while. "A neat little trick from Ashley Bond!" announced Diggory, his tone carrying a faint twinge of wonder. "SCORES with _Die Kühne_ , a penalty few would attempt at this stage – nerves of steel!"

"Indeed!" said Regulus Black, applauding with the crowd as Ashley flew back towards the them – but she wasn't smiling anymore. "Unless Claire makes a save, we're always going to trail," she said, shaking her head.

"She will," said James firmly, wanting more than anything to believe it. "She _has_ to…"

"And here's Paul Berger!" shouted Diggory. "He missed both his penalties in the shootout, but the Beauxbatons fans will hope that after several penalties, he would've worked out the Claire – Palmer – way…"

The referee blew his whistle, and Berger shot forward – he went to Claire's right, but –

"NO!" boomed Diggory as ecstatic cheers from the Hogwarts supporters filled the air. "He went left, Palmer went right – Palmer SAVES, and the Whites are nearly there once more!"

"There you go – I called it!" said James, regaining some of his cheer, "She's a marvel!"

"You have another chance to win this, Potter," said Ashley, her blue eyes boring into his own once again. "Make it count."

"I will," he replied with conviction. Ashley gave him another purposeful nod, and with a thumbs-up to her and the rest of the team, he shot off. He'd been given another chance – and if he scored this, it wouldn't matter that he'd blown an opportunity to win the match ten minutes ago… For it would still be James bleeding Potter with the winning penalty.

"And here's Potter, who missed a chance to win the match for Hogwarts some time ago, to see them through –"

 _See us through I shall_ , thought James as he shot forward; he feinted once before throwing the Quaffle through the middle hoop at full power, past Russo's despairing hands –

"And he's done it, by blasting it through Russo! James Potter – cool as ice, slots the Quaffle home!"

The stadium erupted, and James felt a myriad of emotions – ecstasy, jubilation, exhilaration – but most prominently, relief. He let out a roar of triumph before zooming off to hug Claire Palmer, whose heroics had been instrumental in giving them the win… "Thanks, Claire – you saved us!" he whispered in her ear, and she patted his back comfortingly. "All in a day's work," she said, as the rest of the team came speedily towards them. They remained engulfed in a many-armed hug as they sank towards the ground, yelling hoarsely, all infighting and enmity forgotten… Even the substitutes joined them, and Liz and Marlene simultaneously engulfed James in a tight, bone-crushing embrace. Marlene was openly crying tears of relief, and even Liz's usually calm face showed relief mingled with tension. James grinned; Quidditch was one of the few things that could wind Liz up…

James graciously shook hands with his defeated and dejected opponents, and even commiserated with Anika Bakker, who was almost in tears but doughtily attempting to maintain her composure. He gave her a quick hug and spared her a few words of comfort, before saying that for what it was worth, Beauxbatons had been the better team tonight, and didn't deserve to lose in such a heartbreaking fashion. That did bring a wry smile to her face, and she told James in her charming Dutch accent that they aimed to beat Durmstrang with a huge margin, and would see the Hogwarts team for a rematch in London. He wished her all the best before making his way back to his teammates. She was certainly a Quidditch player to watch out for in the future…

The Hogwarts team immediately went for a quick shower in the changing rooms, and returned to the stadium after wearing their Hogwarts robes. By this time, the Headmasters of both schools were busy directing the Hogwarts supporters to different portkeys – to Hogwarts for the students, and to London for everyone else. Lily came up to James just as he joined the crowd, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "You all right?" she asked delicately.

He gave her a relieved smile. "Yeah – though for a second I was in total shock, I didn't think I'd miss a bleeding penalty!" he exclaimed.

"Happens to the best of us," she said wryly, and pecked him gently once again before going off to help Dumbledore with the portkeys. He lingered with the rest of the team, who were jubilant with their victory and also well aware that they'd had a lucky escape. Liz and Marlene whispered words of comfort to him ("Believe, I know what it feels like to miss a vital penalty," said Marlene darkly), which made him feel a bit better. _I know I got distracted_ , he thought severely. _That must never happen again…_

His gaze went to Ashley Bond, and he gritted his teeth. _Tonight_ , he decided firmly. _I'll talk to her tonight…_ Dumbledore gave the team a congratulatory smile before ushering them towards their portkeys, and James spared his opponents (who had come to see them off) a final energetic wave before feeling the familiar jerk beneath his navel as the portkey took off…

They arrived at Hogwarts seconds later, and were immediately escorted to the castle by Professor McGonagall, who uncharacteristically showered the entire team with several words of praise… But as they entered the Great Hall to thunderous applause, James tapped Ashley Bond's shoulder. She turned around with a little frown, and he whispered, "Captain – we need to talk, it's urgent. Meet me in the passage leading to the kitchens immediately after dinner."

She raised her eyebrows, but just nodded at him. Feeling slightly relieved, he made his way to a jubilant Gryffindor table, acknowledging the applause with a wave of his hand… His purported feud with Ashley Bond had gone for long enough, and it was time to end it once and for all. _One way or another, it ends tonight_ , he thought purposefully as he stabbed a potato. _One way or another…_

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 **Author's note:**

Aspects of Dumbledore's speech have been written as an homage to his speech at the end of _Goblet of Fire_ , so it sounds familiar, that's because it is.

I came across the idea about the language ward in _Strange Visitors from Another Century_ by Izzyaro (Do give it a read, it's a fic in progress and beautifully written). I just added a couple things here and there, and will explain it in some more detail in the next chapter.

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame


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